Unnatural Habitat: The Native and Exotic Wildlife of Los Angeles
Unnatural Habitat: The Native and Exotic Wildlife of Los Angeles
Unnatural Habitat: The Native and Exotic Wildlife of Los Angeles
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Description
Description
A guide to the ecosystem famously known as Los Angeles, from a field biologist and longtime San Gabriel Valley resident.
Within the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles and its suburbs, residents coexist--often unknowingly--with a bustling mosaic of native and introduced wildlife. Conservationist Craig Stanford, whose research has taken him around the world, now takes a deep dive into the natural history of his Southern California home. Stanford's informed and vivid accounts of more than 150 species entreat us to appreciate the ecological marvels of sagebrush and skunks and skippers, the iconic palms of LA lore, and the mountain lions still roaming the hills.
These portraits of the glamorous, humble, irritating, and altogether fascinating species that live alongside Angelenos urge us to recognize that even in a jungle of concrete, we live within nature. Witty and captivating, and combining cutting-edge research with his own critter encounters, Stanford demonstrates the beauty of shaping our cities to support biodiversity, and he warns against the threats that can tip urban ecosystems out of balance, leaving us in a much lonelier world.
About the Author
About the Author
Craig Stanford is a biologist and anthropologist at the University of Southern California. He is known for his long-term field research on wild chimpanzees in East Africa, and for his many field studies of highly endangered turtles and tortoises in Asia and Latin America. He has published nearly twenty books and hundreds of articles about animal behavior, human origins, and environmental issues. Stanford is a long-time resident of the Pasadena area in Southern California.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
Praise for Unnatural Habitat:
"A worthy and illuminating entry in the tradition of works exploring urbanization's effect on the environment. [...] Stanford's fundamental message is clear and simple (and oft-repeated): To preserve a Los Angeles in which humans and nature benefit from one another, we must increase our understanding of our city's fragile wildlife mosaic." --Daniel Vitale, Los Angeles Times
"Unnatural Habitat puts an important spotlight on how L.A. is uniquely positioned to support unique and diverse flora and fauna. The fun and vivid descriptions of the ecological interactions and fascinating history behind L.A.'s biodiversity will inspire local residents to consider even the most human dominated neighborhoods as places to explore nature." --Miguel Ordeñana, Wildlife Biologist at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
Praise for The New Chimpanzee by Craig B. Stanford (Harvard, 2018):
"Stanford is a talented and fluent writer as well as an accomplished researcher." --The Wall Street Journal
Praise for Planet Without Apes by Craig B. Stanford (Belknap, 2014):
"Craig Stanford's book makes compelling reading. [The great apes] have helped us better understand our own behavior. Now it is our turn to help them, and when you read this book, you will realize that we MUST." --Jane Goodall
"Stanford reveals a complex web of cultural, social, economic and biological issues that explain why this problem is so exceedingly difficult to solve." ―The Washington Post
"In his wide-ranging call for action, Stanford lays out the critical threats, arguing that humanity's closest cousins are viewed as savage 'others' and subjected to a genocidal urge last seen in the colonial era." --Nature
"This is a timely call for effective action." ―Publishers Weekly
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
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