Wildlife, Conservation and Conflict in the Anthropocene: New Forms of Stewardship?

Humans have won the battle for dominating the Earth. Many species are threatened with extinction in this Anthropocene Age, with significant declines in vertebrates, birds, corals, and important habitats (Butchart et al. 2010). The growth of agriculture has enabled huge increases in human populations but has also threatened many species (Rands et al. 2010). Wild fish stocks once considered limitless are now threatened due to overharvesting, including huge declines in sharks, rays, and skates (Pikitch 2005). Some threats, such as local hunting, are relatively easy to control, but conservation has not dealt with the underlying issues such as “population and economic growth, [and] technological development” (Mace 2010, 251) that that are integral to human domination of the Earth. With their “victory,” humans are faced with conservation and ethical dilemmas. The two books reviewed here overlap in dealing with contemporary challenges to conservation and species preservation in...