Review: The rise of conservation ecology and biology books has been obvious to anyone looking at this field over the last ten years. What seems to be in shorter supply is the text that looks at issues. Early in the development of this field we had works by researchers such as Dasmann and Piggott which attempted to answer the philosophical issues facing us but since then, the casual reader could be forgiven for thinking that these problems had been resolved and that all that was needed was for a few loose ends to be cleared up. Of course, nothing is further from the truth - at a time when conservation is being challenged increasingly, we need students who have a grasp of the entire topic.

This text aims to fill the gap. It starts by arguing a case for the book - a case based on the urgent need to control biodiversity (especially losses) and the idea that the process of conservation is intrinsically interesting. Thus the reader is targeted in two ways - to see the topic as important and to see the way in which leading workers view the key areas in conservation. We start the substantive work with an overview of the idea of biodiversity, problems of loss and the reasons this matters. Chapter two argues for making priorities in conservation - that certain approaches are inherently more useful than others. If the idea of prioritization is one that people feel should not be in a conservation text then the next chapter will disabuse them fast! Whatever we wish to see, it's a reality that conservation is best served by considering the economics of the situation. As the contributors rightly state, morals and ethics are fine but its money that will win more arguments. Luckily the notion of ecosystem services (e.g. Constanza) is becoming more entrenched in our thinking and we can respond more readily. Chapter four looks at a technique which has had a considerable impact on our thinking. Genetic analysis has allowed us to view relationships we might not have been able to see but it also makes us question the whole nature of biodiversity and what it means to be a species. Another area of study is the population. Whereas it's amenable to study it also might not be a representative fraction (harking back to the previous chapter). Chapter six gets away from the biological scene to consider the role of climate change. Rather than join in the vast array of literature on this, this chapter focusses on the immediate challenge we need to face - that the physical environment might change faster than species can adapt. In facing these problems we need all the help we can get. Technology has a great role to play but it's not perfect as chapter seven points out. The next issue facing us is welfare. Here the argument is that to be successful we need to look at the ethical dimensions. It's not just a moral issue - some endangered species have been negatively impacted by poor or inappropriate handling. To continue the range of ideas, chapter 10 turns to the role of conservation groups and governments in pursuing the goal of conservation. That this is focussed in the tropics is appropriate because it is clear that future problems will occur around current biodiversity hotspots. The role of pests is a difficult subject. On the one hand they are organisms like any other and so conservation should be considered. On the other hand they control or even remove species if not handled well. Both chapters 11 and 12 look at the problems surrounding this - the former in terms of parasites' impact on population numbers; the latter in terms of these (vertebrate) numbers themselves reaching pest proportions and needing control. This theme is extended into chapter 13 where the role and impact of introduced species is examined. The old bumper sticker - preserve wildlife, pickle a squirrel - was meant to be a satire on the need to conserve biodiversity. Today, as chapter 14 shows, it's more than likely to be a reality as bushmeat (notably, but not exclusively) from the tropics is used to supplement both diet and income. This might be seen as sacrilege by some but it's just another area to be considered as conservation biology continues to expand its reach and develop its topic area. Likewise, hunting (chapter 15) can both help and hinder wildlife (a case, or at least the former, often being put by farmers in pro-hunt arguments). Farmers also make their presence felt in the next chapter where the old argument of farming or wildlife is now far more often farming and wildlife. Part of the old antipathy for wildlife is analysed in chapter 17 where wildlife encroachment often damages those sections of the population least able to bear it i.e. rural poor. A final chapter seeks to draw broad conclusions from the diverse papers.

Overall, this is an outstanding text. It brings the old ideas of conservation philosophy up to date. It also highlights the most important areas in this burgeoning subject area. Most importantly, it tells the story in accessible terms and with a refreshing vigour that many other texts would do well to emulate. This is probably one the the best recent books on this area of work. It deserves the widest readership and should be a 'must-buy' text for the library both institutional and personal.