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| Essentials of Conservation Biology, Fourth Edition | 
| Author: Richard B. Primack
Publisher: Sinauer Associates, Inc.
Category: Book
List Price: $84.95
Buy New: $74.76
You Save: $10.19 (12%)
New (15) from $74.76
Avg. Customer Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 383395
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 4
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 530
Shipping Weight (lbs): 4
Dimensions (in): 11 x 8.7 x 1.2
ISBN: 087893720X
Dewey Decimal Number: 333.9516
EAN: 9780878937202
ASIN: 087893720X
Publication Date: June 1, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: SHIPS FAST! via UPS(AK/HI Priority Mail) within 24 hours/ NEW book
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| Customer Reviews:
 4th edition is very good, readable, ideal for undergrads October 7, 2008
There is no perfect conservaton biology textbook, but this one is probably the best all-around choice for a general introduction to the field. I've just switched to this textbook for my undergraduate Conservation Biology class. I don't know what the 3rd edition was like, but the 2006 4th edition seems very nicely organized and well-written. I've tried 2 other texts for this course and found Hunter & Gibbs to be too oversimplified, while Groom et al. is too advanced for most undergraduates. Groom et al. is a fantastic reference for a professional or grad student, but is just too overwhelming for your average sophomore bio major. Anyway, Primack's 4th edition hits the middle ground exactly right - a lot of good detail, all the key vocabulary, decent coverage of recent developments in the field, clearly written, nice figures, but not too overwhelming. It's organized in 6 major sections: (1) biodiversity (what & where it is), (2) why we should care, (3) why it's vanishing, (4) population biology (how to keep a small pop'n going), (5) practical solutions (reserve design, restoration ecology etc.), and (6) human society. I plan to supplement it with outside readings & a case-study popular book or two, probably Kurlansky's "Cod" for a look at how human history, culture & economics can combine to gradually drive a species under, and Bodsworth's "Last of the Curlews" (the edition with the beautiful illustrations by T.M.Shortt) just for emotional impact and sheer beauty.
 Thought-provoking, but muddled December 27, 2005
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
This was the primary textbook for a graduate conservation biology course I had. I found the book to be an enjoyable read and thought-provoking. However, the book's organization was at time muddled. A decent introduction to the field of conservation biology, but as a textbook, it falls short.
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Wildlife, nature and the Environment
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