Rosie Woodroffe

This volume presents the papers presented at the symposium at the Zoological Society of London in December 2002, and represents the wisdom and experience of 62 chapter authors and a host of other supporting members. As such, there is no doubt that it is a valuable exposition of the state of scientific knowledge on the subject, especially as most of the papers derive from objective, bean-counting surveys and experiments. However, this format also makes it a formidable mountain to conquer for the average reader, even the average practitioner, as the chapters tend to repeat definitions, concepts, and the basic facts of the problem. So it is a somewhat laborious effort to read through all the chapters. The papers do get a little more interesting toward the latter part, with less scholastic and more field-based papers on such immediately relatable subjects as the Amur tiger, tigers in the subcontinent (by Ullas), elephants, and some others. However, like all books of wildlife conservation, the discussion does seem to revolve around the insoluble problems of population, habitat requirements, and so on, although some of the authors do suggest that there may be viable solutions if local communities get real control and benefits, something that may require a considerable change in the conservationists' and state departments' approach.… (altro)