Preserving Eden: the Nature Conservancy.

This is the only book about The Nature Conservancy, now 40 years old and supported by some 600,000 members. Unlike other conservation groups, which serve mainly to educate the public, the Conservancy actually buys land across North America and works to preserve remaining wild areas and prevent the extinction of rare plants and animals. 125 full-color illustrations.

In its 40th year, the Nature Conservancy has 600,000 members, assets of $620 million and an impressive record of conservation achievement. Grove, an editor at National Geographic , ascribes the group's success to its ability to compromise with business, environmental and governmental interests. Conservancy personnel, he shows, are expert in many functions, whether engineering land deals, enticing large gifts from corporations or devising tax shelters for wealthy donors. Grove describes threatened wildlife areas from Maine to Alaska, and in Latin America and the Caribbean as well, that have been rescued by Conservancy purchase. Krasemann's photographs of these regions are magnificent, and serve to enhance this valuable tour of nature, which emphasizes the importance of preserving entire habitats.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Have you heard of The Nature Conservancy? Surprisingly, many people have not, yet the Nature Conservancy (TNC) is celebrating its 40th birthday this year. Beginning as a subunit of the Ecological Society of America, TNC has evolved into an efficient, visionary group dedicated to saving species, thus ensuring biodiversity. The process involves acquiring critical parcels of land (5.5 million acres since 1953). This might require complex negotiations, arranging donations and environmental easements, resolving disputes, and creating local public awareness. The land may be held by TNC but more often is returned to responsible managers, either federal, state, or private. Documented here are the stories of many Nature Conservancy preserves and numerous species that have been or are hopefully being saved. An index lists preserves in each state that may be visited. The text and photographs do a splendid job of describing the important and necessary work of this organization. Recommended for public and academic libraries.
- Nancy Moeckel, Miami Univ. Libs., Oxford, Ohio
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.