One of earth's uncharted frontiers is the rainforest canopy. Mitchell was in Borneo studying gibbons, looking up into the trees, when he began asking what it would be like to be "up there" with them.
Not just a Picture-Book, the seasoned naturalist author presents a thorough series of observational narratives across the jungles of the world--Borneo, Niu Gini, Amazonia, etc. The history of platforming, rope walks, air ships, and rafts. The future of the jungle, with its rapid depletion, and the promise of its phytochemical abundance. Quotes the Brazilian chemist, Otto Gottlieb, in 1981: "...almost nothing at all is known about the chemical composition of 99.9% of our flora." [226]
The author names the species of plants and insects which have a demonstrated billion-dollar potential, and which face extinction due to the control of commerce by companies which ignore the opportunity and the research. ( )