The Future of the Wild: Radical Conservation for a Crowded World

The grizzly bear, the northern spotted owl, the mountain lion, the sea otter-these are just a few of the species that, however large or small, tell us so much about how to conserve what's left of North America's wilderness.

In The Future of the Wild, conservationist Jonathan S. Adams uses stories about these species and others to show us how to think big. Only by saving large tracts of land and the wildlife corridors that connect them can we hope to save the widest variety of species in any ecosystem. And only by saving whole ecosystems, including human communities, can we hope to make significant strides in conservation. Individual parcels of land, acquired piecemeal, simply will not provide an adequate safeguard against endangerment-or worse, extinction. Even large national parks will not suffice, unless they are connected to the larger landscape.

Eloquently and accessibly, Adams weaves conservation history and biology with on-the-ground stories of successful, if unexpected, partnerships wherein sometimes opposing groups find common ground in their commitment to protect land and the animals that inhabit it. From Arizona ranchers using the latest scientific advances to create a "working wilderness," to farmers and conservationists in the Florida Everglades protecting endangered wetlands and the California Department of Transportation unpaving roads for use as mountain lion crossings, based on research into the animals' movements.

Adams proves that an effective conservation strategy is only possible if we use modern science, local community resources, and good economic sense. In The Future of the Wild, the vision Adams offers is clear and hopeful. It is up to environmentalists everywhere to heed his call and work to protect the wildness of the land around us.