Tenacious Beasts

December 5, 2022
In this rewarding study, environmental philosophy professor Preston (The Synthetic Age) provides reason to be hopeful about endangered species. He digs into the rehabilitation of such animals as bison and chinook salmon to suggest how humans might better accommodate them, such as by embracing beaver dams, which are often more effective in rejuvenating habitats than human intervention. Preston recounts accompanying researchers to study how a hunting moratorium has allowed humpback whales off the coast of Alaska to flourish, and he suggests that humans should see whales as “partners in the climate change struggle” because their consumption of phytoplankton, which “suck carbon out of the water,” reduces carbon levels. He details the comeback that wolves made in Europe and encourages reader to see as “heroic” the travails of a female wolf who in 2018 left her pack in Berlin and became the first wolf to live in Belgium in over a century, before likely getting killed by hunters. Though Preston mostly stays upbeat, he’s clear-eyed about the need for meaningful change, contending that “we need greater tolerance for the company of nonhumans, thinking of them not as adversaries but as kin with common goals.” The surprisingly intimate accounts of species bouncing back from the brink of extinction serve as glimmers of hope against the backdrop of climate despair. This will hearten nature lovers.

Starred review from December 2, 2022

Preston (environmental philosophy, Univ. of Montana; The Synthetic Age) details several examples of animal populations that are rebounding in spite of increasing biodiversity loss worldwide. Wolves in central Netherlands, dolphins in the Chesapeake Bay, and bears in the mountains of Italy are just a few cases where people are finding ways to coexist with animals long absent from the landscape. Preston presents a range of viewpoints on wildlife interactions from people, some Indigenous, who are fishers, ranchers, researchers, artists, activists, and conservationists, all mostly located in Europe and the U.S. He explores the controversies around fish hatcheries, dams, and fencing, along with the ethical considerations that determine what animals benefit from interventions. Preston writes with the goal of highlighting promising partnerships, building on lessons learned from animals themselves, and questioning long-held beliefs about wildlife and conservation. VERDICT This makes for an excellent recommendation to readers searching for thoughtful but hopeful books on the future of nature.--Catherine Lantz

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Starred review from December 1, 2022
Inspiring stories of wildlife resilience and recovery. Many animals headed for extinction are recovering nicely, writes science writer and teacher Preston, who delivers a satisfying account of a dozen successes without minimizing the difficulties involved. He opens with news that four foxes entered British homes over recent years and bit their inhabitants. These victims aside, most people celebrate the fact that British foxes (and American coyotes) are thriving in suburbia. The author also discusses bears, wolves, bison, bobcats, bald eagles, and many species of whale. Formerly slaughtered as pests, food, or merchandise, they are flourishing--so much so that humans will have to adopt different approaches and ethical attitudes and exercise tolerance and a conservationist mindset. Traveling the world, Preston interacted with researchers, activists, and Indigenous people working to restore animals to their former ecosystems, most of which now contain far more humans than before. Some--whooping crane, California condor--were on the verge of extinction. Others remained plentiful but through hunting (beavers) or technology such as dams (salmon), have disappeared from huge areas to the detriment of the environment. North American rivers without beavers become dysfunctional, and their biodiversity plummets. Salmon support a complex food web in their upstream spawning grounds that vanishes when dams shut them out. As Preston shows in this page-turning account, many iconic animals are extinct where they roam freely because they breed with domestic animals. That includes American bison, which interbreed with cattle. Ongoing captive breeding programs aim to produce a genetically pure species, and because farmers and ranchers often hate predators and "pests," returning animals require permanent and expensive conservation efforts featuring stricter laws, anti-poaching enforcement, insurance, subsidized fencing, and ongoing political and activist pressure. Some readers will note that Preston confines his enthusiasm to prosperous North America and Europe. Conservationists are working hard in Africa and Asia, but there is apparently little to cheer about. Rare, well-delivered positive news about animals and the natural world.

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