- Email: [email protected]
Why preserve natural variety
327
Book reviews
International Zoo Yearbook 26. Edited by P. J. S. Olney. Zoological Society of London, London. 1987. 582 pp. ISSN 0074 9664. Price: £39.75. The 26th Edition of the International Zoo Yearbook maintains the high standard of previous numbers and the 582 pages are packed with information of considerable interest. This volume is divided into three sections. The first concerns aquatic systems and opens with several contributions on maintaining coral reefs in aquaria. The progress made in this very specialised aspect of aquatic biology is quite remarkable and has resulted in some very striking exhibits. The rest of the papers in this section cover many different organisms, from cephalopods to fish, turtles, penguins, otters and walruses. The second section, on new developments in the zoo world, has 24 different contributions, ranging over many aspects of bird, reptile and primate problems of maintaining species in captivity. Section 3, which covers 235 pages, is a valuable compilation of the zoos and aquaria of the world, including new buildings and exhibits. There is a census of rare animals in captivity during 1985 and finally studbooks and world registers for rare species of world animals in captivity. The Editor, Peter Olney, and his colleagues are to be congratulated on a mine of information in this number of the Yearbook.
E. Duffey
Why Preserve Natural Variety. By Bryan G. Norton. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. 1988. 281 pp. ISBN 0691077622. Price: £18.75. The author of this book is Professor of Philosophy at the University of South Florida. He takes as his theme the difficult problem of trying to assess the value of wildlife and the diversity of species to the human race. He says that preservationists appear to find themselves forced to choose between defending species as satisfiers of human demand (the economic argument) or to support policies that wildlife has its own intrinsic value. The latter has the overwhelming problem of clarifying unclear concepts and possibly defending dubious principles. However, the author supports what he calls the 'transformative value of species'. All species support others in natural systems, and because human moral and other non-consumptive values are, in turn, dependent on them, this leads to an obligation to preserve all species.
E. Duffey
Book reviews
International Zoo Yearbook 26. Edited by P. J. S. Olney. Zoological Society of London, London. 1987. 582 pp. ISSN 0074 9664. Price: £39.75. The 26th Edition of the International Zoo Yearbook maintains the high standard of previous numbers and the 582 pages are packed with information of considerable interest. This volume is divided into three sections. The first concerns aquatic systems and opens with several contributions on maintaining coral reefs in aquaria. The progress made in this very specialised aspect of aquatic biology is quite remarkable and has resulted in some very striking exhibits. The rest of the papers in this section cover many different organisms, from cephalopods to fish, turtles, penguins, otters and walruses. The second section, on new developments in the zoo world, has 24 different contributions, ranging over many aspects of bird, reptile and primate problems of maintaining species in captivity. Section 3, which covers 235 pages, is a valuable compilation of the zoos and aquaria of the world, including new buildings and exhibits. There is a census of rare animals in captivity during 1985 and finally studbooks and world registers for rare species of world animals in captivity. The Editor, Peter Olney, and his colleagues are to be congratulated on a mine of information in this number of the Yearbook.
E. Duffey
Why Preserve Natural Variety. By Bryan G. Norton. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. 1988. 281 pp. ISBN 0691077622. Price: £18.75. The author of this book is Professor of Philosophy at the University of South Florida. He takes as his theme the difficult problem of trying to assess the value of wildlife and the diversity of species to the human race. He says that preservationists appear to find themselves forced to choose between defending species as satisfiers of human demand (the economic argument) or to support policies that wildlife has its own intrinsic value. The latter has the overwhelming problem of clarifying unclear concepts and possibly defending dubious principles. However, the author supports what he calls the 'transformative value of species'. All species support others in natural systems, and because human moral and other non-consumptive values are, in turn, dependent on them, this leads to an obligation to preserve all species.
E. Duffey