Stephen M. Meyer

Wow. This tiny little volume really packs a punch. It opens with a strong argument: the wild as we've defined it in the past is doomed. For the most part it's already gone, and those parts that still exist are living on borrowed time. He makes this case forcefully and pulls no punches. About halfway through, I was sagging and desperate for a glimmer of hope or a call to action.

This section is where the book stumbles a little. I think partially due to design issues. It's a small book with small pages and large margins -- all the white space makes it easy and pleasurable to read. But the headings were horrible and ran right into the paragraphs of text. I think a more visual outline would have better organized Meyer's recommendations for the future. Without it, this section ran all together and created mirages of contradictions that turned out not to be there when I looked again for this review. As condensed as the arguments in this tiny book are, I think more structure would have helped.

What I liked of his suggestions: changing the stories of our culture to emphasize our interdependence on/with our environment, and making sure we're protecting intact, healthy habitats, and not just those so imperiled as to already be on their last legs.

If you want a realistic call to arms, or a brutal kick to the head, pick this up.… (mehr)

In a word, stunning. Breathtaking indictment of our current policies with regard to The Wild (defined by Meyer as untrammeled wilderness which humans romantically choose to believe still exists). Meyer's postulate in brief is that the war to save endangered species is over. We lost, and must plan accordingly. He goes on to limn a plan in letters of fire. I'm afraid this book is the one which will be held up a hundred years from now as an example of what should have been done and wasn't. Clear, concise, brilliant. Highly recommended.… (mehr)

In "End of the Wild," Meyer provides a serious examination of the sad state of our environment. In this concise look at how natural selection has been replaced by human selection, the author argues that nothing can be done to stop the loss of wildlands and most of the earth's species. Immediate, systematic action must be taken to protect critical ecosystems. Meyer notes that we are fundamentally connected with nature and suggests that we have a moral obligation to "safeguard future evolutionary processes and pathways and to preserve ecosystems processes and functions". In addition, Meyers suggests that through the design of natural-area trusts (NATS) and intensive management we can begin to become better stewards. The last couple paragraphs say it all... "Of course, the end of the wild does not mean a barren world. There will continue to be plenty of life covering the globe. There will be birds, mammals, and insects - lots of insects. Life will just be different: much less diverse, much less exotic, much more predictable, and much less able to capture the awe and wonder of the human spirit. Ecosystems will organize around a human motif, the wild will give way to the predictable, the common, the usual. Everyone will enjoy English house sparrows; no one will enjoy wood thrushes. We have lost the wild for now. Perhaps in five or ten million years it will return."… (mehr)