Freshwater Ecoregions of North America: A Conservation Assessment

Rating:
Summary: Green Lantern...
Review: In the sphere of the social sciences, a long standing bias has existed against the so-called "natural sciences:" the lack of rhetorical power, and more simply, of terminological variability, has turned away sociologists, anthropologists, and historians from the literature of natural science. This bias is evident, but at base, irrational, at least by the uniform standards for scholarship that transcends disciplines. After all, the sociologist cannot simply write-off the work of the economist, just because of language.

This important work, although highly priced, must be read by social scientists as well as by natural scientists. Editor Robin Abell, with her talented staff at WWF-USA, have put together an inherently readable account of what "ecoregions" are threatened, while enumerating the attributes and possible threats to these areas. A reader, like myself, who knows little about such things , is sure to find themself surprisingly drawn to what otherwise seem like trivialities. For example, the consistent format of the volume, from section to section, provides the reader with a template, or general design, by which whole areas of geography can be understood.

And this understanding goes past the parochial association of one region with the "political unit" it is found in.

The title of this mini-review was not only meant to be teasing: it is my hope that more writers and editors adopt the style that Abell et al. have established. Perhaps then important subjects like this can climb closer to the center of the public conscience.

Rating:
Summary: Insightful New Approach
Review: The first approach anywhere that looks not only at scale of biodiversity loss and priorities for conservation for our often over-looked freshwater resources. This book is essential for anyone who truly cares about North America's diverse natural habitats.

The maps in the book are wonderful. They effectively convey areas which are spectacular and also the areas that are most threatened.