Before They Vanish: Saving Nature’s Populations — and Ourselves is an evocative, rather gentle collaboration of three scientist friends, centered naturally on legendary biologist Paul Ehrlich. The book’s central thesis is that humanity, at this juncture point of the threat of species’ extinctions amidst the Anthropocene, concentrates far too much on the global, final extinction of given species, something that blinds us to the fact that long before the last Swift Parrot (to use an example close to my heart) is seen no more, geographically distinct populations of that species have already disappeared. Two consequences: we act too late and we ignore the catastrophic thinning out of ecosystems of intrinsic and practical value. The authors write lovely, precise prose and they write of their encounters with the many examples of threatened populations across mammals, birds (my favorite chapter), vertebrates, invertebrates, plants, and microbes. An impassioned case is put for action for selfish reasons (the human race needs a biodiverse, teeming globe to survive) but also for intrinsic reasons (the ethics of caring for our world’s species). A wide-ranging chapter on actions to stave off what can seem inevitable doom includes countrywide protection of species and land/water tracts; more science, more education; regulation, regulation, regulation (in opposition to the seemingly endlessly greedy pillagers); culling ferals, especially cats; last ditch rescue efforts, translocation, and de-extinction. Before They Vanish is essential reading, a treasure of learning and a call to act.
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