Face-to-face Nature Conservation by Stachowitsch, Michael;

Short description:

This primer equips environmental practitioners – teachers, students, researchers, citizen scientists, park rangers and guides, zoo staffs, volunteers – for what they can expect to hear while going about their business. It provides set of concise answers to over 200 questions or assertions.

Long description:

Academic training often leaves students poorly prepared for what they actually encounter in the field, where bridging the distance to the general public in matters related to wildlife and the status of our planet can pose a real challenge. The increasing disconnect between nature and an often skeptical or misguided public means that many people have a poor understanding of how to behave in the great outdoors and take a bewildered or even confrontational stance against those dedicated to nature conservation and species protection. Managing nature has simply become increasingly synonymous with managing people.

This primer equips practitioners – teachers, students, researchers, citizen scientists, park rangers and guides, zoo staffs, and volunteers – for what they can expect to hear while going about their business. It provides a set of concise answers to over 200 questions or assertions arranged in 20 headings covering major ecosystems and their inhabitants, natural history institutions, as well as various human perspectives and activities. You’ll never again be caught off guard, stumped, or flustered.

A dash of humor and a twinkle in the eye maximizes the chances that those on the other side of the proverbial fence will shake your hand and urge you to keep up the good work. No team should gear up for work without a copy of this book.

“This book will, I feel, help lift its readers from their doldrums and give them some answers and also a smile. It is lucid, witty, well informed and opinionated in a good way. Ideal for use by undergraduate students, lecturers can also use it to provoke discussion and debate. In the years that I taught Environmental Sciences at undergraduate level, I would have appreciated such a text!”

Mark P. Simmonds, OBE, Director of Science for OceanCare and Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Bristol, UK

“It is a major challenge for everyone working in nature conservation and environmental protection projects who are confronted with the general public to provide good answers to questions and to counter sometimes misguided or even provocative statements. This book is an enormous help in this regard and offers a rich source of possible answers. The topics accurately reflect the daily interactions we have as scientists on the front lines with skeptical members of the public.”

Patricia Holm, Emeritus Professor of Ecology, Dept. of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Switzerland

“There is a need for a novel-format book like this one, especially given the challenging times we live in with short attention spans, digital distractions, explosive reactions and temperaments, and escalating conflicts. I admire the novelty of the book and appreciate the intent as well as implementation. The succinct primer is a good jumping board for coming up with custom retorts using humour to respond to challenging questions and diffusing potentially conflict-inducing situations.”

Kadambari Devarajan, ecologist, writer, and National Geographic Explorer

“This book will fill a void in understanding and communication between various sectors and interest groups involved in work related to animals and the environment.”

 Michael W Fox, veterinarian, medical scientist and ethologist, syndicated “Animal Doctor” newspaper columnist and author of One Health: Veterinary, Ethical & Environmental Perspectives, USA

“This light-hearted and ‘bite-sized’ issue-by-issue approach is useful for getting people connected with today’s scientific fascinations, but also the pressing issues with which we have to grapple but are doing so extremely sub-optimally today. It has the potential to engage curiosity and motivate with science, but also humour.”

Mark Everard, Associate Professor, University of the West of England, UK

Table of Contents:

1. General 2. Science 3. Extinction and Evolution 4. Terrestrial 5. Freshwater 6. Marine 7. Hunting and Fishing 8. Pets 9. Zoos and Public Aquariums 10. Natural History Museums 11. Pollution 12. Energy 13. Climate Change 14. Construction Projects and Zoning 15. Money and Jobs 16. Politics 17. Radicalism 18. Hairbrained Ideas 19. Pessimism/Nihilism/Cynicism 20. Activism and Helpful Souls