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COLLECTED PAPERS OF MICHAEL E. SOULÉ Early Years in Modern Conservation Biology Introduction by James A. Estes

Washington, DC (October 21, 2014) — One of the biggest questions facing environmental thought today is how to greet the Anthropocene, the proposed name for the current geologic era that is shaped by humans rather than ice or asteroids. Should we embrace this manhandled world as inevitable, or should we spend dollars and time trying to preserve untouched lands and rebuild stressed ecosystems?

In the early 1970s, scientists were beginning to connect the dots between overpopulation and diminished human well-being, between anthropogenic pressures on natural resources and the loss of the planet’s biodiversity. Michael E. Soulé—thinker, philosopher, teacher, mentor, and scientist—recognized the importance of a healthy natural world and pushed for a new, interdisciplinary approach to preserving biological diversity. Thirty years later, Soulé is hailed by many as the single most important force in the development of the modern science of conservation biology that is now trying to negotiate a new way forward in the Anthropocene.

Collected Papers of Michael E. Soulé for the first time offers Soulé’s seminal writings over the past thirty years in one place. These carefully selected pieces show the progression of his intellectual thinking on topics such as genetics, ecology, evolutionary biology, and extinctions, and how the history and substance of the field of conservation biology evolved over time. New introductions, written by Dr. Soulé with Robert L. Peters for this volume, place the papers in their original contexts,

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highlight how (or if) the ideas have evolved over time, and comment on their relevance to current concerns.

The book opens with an in-depth introduction by marine conservation biologist James A. Estes, a longtime colleague of Soulé’s, who explains why his special combination of science and leadership was the catalyst for bringing about the modern era of conservation biology. Estes offers a thoughtful commentary on the challenges that lie ahead for the young discipline in the face of climate change, increasing species extinctions, and impassioned debate within the conservation community itself over the best path forward.

Intended for a new generation of students and scientists, Collected Papers of Michael E. Soulé offers a fresh presentation of goals of conservation biology, and inspiration and guidance for the global biodiversity crises facing us today. Soulé’s articles form an inspiring arc bridging from the challenges of human population growth, the increasing standards of living that follow the spread of democracy, and the philosophic narrow-mindedness born of anthropocentrism, to the pillars that can guide us to a better future—maintaining viable populations, harnessing the scientific power of conservation genetics, and considering the myriad ways species interact in a “magic web” of ecological effectiveness.

Readers will come away with an understanding of the science, passion, idealism, and sense of urgency that drove early founders of conservation biology like Michael Soulé. This insightfully curated collection of seminal writings by a luminary in the field will inspire and guide a new generation of young scientists as they face the current global biodiversity crisis.

Michael E. Soulé is professor emeritus of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz, a founder and first president of the Society for Conservation Biology and The Wildlands Network, and a fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. James A. Estes is professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, coeditor of Trophic Cascades: Predators, Prey, and the Changing Dynamics of Nature, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Collected Papers of Michael E. Soulé Hardcover and E-book

288 pages | Price: $35.00 ISBN: 978-1-61091-574-8

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Founded in 1984, Island Press works to stimulate, shape, and communicate the information that is essential for solving environmental problems. Today, with more than 800 titles in print and some 40 new releases each year, it is the nation’s leading publisher of books on environmental issues. But Island Press does more than publish books. It advances environmental science by nurturing the exchange of ideas across disciplines and sectors, and by helping to create a multidisciplinary literature on environmental problems and solutions. For more information and further updates be sure to visit www.islandpress.org.

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