The Heartbeat of the Wild

April 1, 2023
A collection of National Geographic articles from the veteran science writer. Quammen, the award-winning author of Breathless, Spillover, and The Song of the Dodo, has long worked for the iconic magazine, and most of the pieces have been slightly updated. Some readers may be surprised to learn that huge areas of the planet exist where no man has set foot, and there are plenty of blank spots in our knowledge of life, humans included. The author chronicles the story of Mike Fay, a quasi-Victorian "half-crazed white man" explorer in the tradition of David Livingstone and Henry Morton Stanley who walked more than 2,000 miles through the last great remaining forests of Central Africa to survey its biological diversity. Three long articles describe the 15-month expedition, which resulted in no deaths but a few near misses. Tales of Africa occupy most of the chapters, although there is a compelling story from Chile and Argentina, where a wealthy American couple has persuaded the governments to form national parks including much land they have bought. Two chapters detour to Kamchatka in Russia's far east, a sparsely populated wonderland of volcanoes, geysers, wildlife, and salmon-rich streams and a reminder that the Soviet Union's fall was an ecological disaster, as its government abandoned nature reserves to rapacious entrepreneurs and poachers. Quammen strains to remain optimistic on the subject of conservation and sometimes succeeds, but the future looks uncertain. It's mostly money from richer nations that supports conservation in poor nations, but much must be spent to provide their citizens jobs, education, and infrastructure. National Geographic is famous for maps and brilliant photographs that accompany the articles. Sadly, there are none in this collection, and readers may struggle to follow some narratives because Quammen often writes about villages and other geographical features too obscure to turn up in internet searches. A great nature writer cleans out his desk.

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Starred review from April 1, 2023
Science journalist Quammen (Breathless, 2022) writes fervently and ferociously about the importance of preserving the wild in essays collected from two decades of his reporting for National Geographic. Distinctively combining the splendor of nature, conservation biology, and exciting adventures, Quammen's tales read as though Indiana Jones joined forces with scientist-ecologist Edward O. Wilson. Quammen's assignments transport him to majestic yet often hostile landscapes across the globe, though primarily in Africa. He recounts his and his colleagues' confrontation with a charging elephant, trekking through vast jungles, plucking obstinate leeches off each other's skin, encountering exuberant chimpanzees in trees excreting "pungent but unmalicious showers of urine," and coming across a "spooky forest" sheltering the Ebola virus. Endangered salmon in Kam chatka, the reintroduction or rewilding of jaguars and giant anteaters in Argentina, the hard life of a Serengeti lion, and bonobo behavior are featured. The cast of human characters, including dedicated researchers, philanthropists, local people, and energetic and eccentric explorers, is as engrossing as the animals. Quammen identifies critical elements of great ecosystems, such as biodiversity, scale, and connectivity. He effectively informs readers of how much is at stake in preserving places on the earth that are "so wondrous, and so fragile" and how much urgent, important work lies ahead.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.