Galapagos at the Crossroads: Pirates, Biologists, Tourists,

Galapagos at the Crossroads: Pirates, Biologists, Tourists, and Creationists Battle for Darwin's Cradle of Evolution

As eloquent as it is alarming, Carol Ann Bassettâ€™s portrait of todayâ€™s GalÃ¡pagos depicts a deadly collision of economics, politics, and the environment that may destroy one of the worldâ€™s last Edens.

For millions, the GalÃ¡pagos Islands represent nature at its most unspoiled, an inviolate place famed for its rare flora and fauna. But soon todayâ€™s 30,000 human residents could surpass 50,000. Add invasive species, floods of tourists, and unresolved conflicts between Ecuadorian laws and local concerns, and itâ€™s easy to see why the GalÃ¡pagos were recently added to UNESCOâ€™s World Heritage in Danger list.

Each chapter in this provocative, perceptive book focuses on a specific person or group with a stake in the GalÃ¡pagosâ€™ natural resourcesâ€”from tour companies whose activities are often illegal and not always green, to creationist guides who lead tours with no mention of evolution, from fishermen up in arms over lobster quotas, to modern-day pirates who poach endangered marine species.

Bassett presents a perspective as readable as it is sensible. Told with wit, passion, and grace, the GalÃ¡pagos story serves as a miniature model of Earth itself, a perfect example of how an environment can be destroyed--Â and what is being done to preserve these islands before it's too late.
Country USA
Brand National Geographic
Manufacturer National Geographic
Binding Hardcover
ItemPartNumber illustrations
Model illustrations
ReleaseDate 2009-05-19
UnitCount 1
EANs 9781426204029

Country	USA
Brand	National Geographic
Manufacturer	National Geographic
Binding	Hardcover
ItemPartNumber	illustrations
Model	illustrations
ReleaseDate	2009-05-19
UnitCount	1
EANs	9781426204029

Galapagos at the Crossroads: Pirates, Biologists, Tourists, and Creationists Battle for Darwin's Cradle of Evolution

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