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9780226468969

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A simple black and white map pinpoints the exact location of Millaa Millaa, a tiny township situated in the locality of Cairns and the rural towns of the Atherton Tableland, which holds the last remnants of Australian rainforest in tropical Queensland, in its grasp. An excited and energetic young man by the name of William Laurance is gathering information from this rich and diverse landscape, which embraces a great variety of plants and creatures, from great white-tailed rats to green ringed-tail possums whose eyes glow in bright light. Some of this ecology is primitive, and much of it is found nowhere else on Earth. This perspective and often humorous book reveals how Laurance, an unconventional scientist, whilst accumlating evidence of the human impact on tropical ecosystems, (at present rates, land the equivalent of 70 football fields are destroyed every 60 seconds), lived amongst farmers and loggers, witnessing first-hand how the reality of conversation issues affected individuals and their daily lives. Laurance offers lessons in history, biology, the intricacy of field work relationships and a violent and bitter conversation battle against World Heritage, which shocked and split apart an increasingly judgmental town. Interspersed with incredible pictures that depict the vast range and complexity of this beautiful but fragmented and endangered rainforest, his book paints a very important picture. Allowing us a valuable insight not only into the ccomplexity of the tropical rainforests and the indigenous life within them but also the incredibly real and devastating issues that threaten their very existence. Surprisingly, we still have time to join the fight to save this irreplaceable enviroment - although the clock is ticking and time is quickly running out. (Kirkus UK)

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William Laurance is a senior research scientist with the Smithsonian Institution and Brazil's National Institute for Amazonian Research. The recipient of the American Society of Mammalogists Award for his work on tropical forest fragmentation, he is the lead editor of Tropical Forest Remnants.

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