HOME | DD

Description
Be sure to read the description before commenting below.

It may be 2023, but I thought I'd share a photo of yet another book of mine from a few years ago. This is my copy of the National Geographic book known as Vanishing: The World's Most Vulnerable Species. I received this as a Christmas gift in 2019 -- the holiday season I...had a bit of a fiasco and meltdown during. But I've moved on and, while it may be slightly dated in some respects, I believe it's still invoking and informative.

After I shared a photo of those Endangered Species stamps I posted last week , a peer had observed that the photos came from the world-famous photographer Joel Sartore, along with a foreword by Elizabeth Kolbert. When I was directed to this coincidence, I was inspired to share my copy of this book -- and an excellent one at that.

Published in 2019, Vanishing features ~300 different animals facing some kind of peril due to anthropogenic activities (a few in the book may have even gone extinct since). It covers a variety of species in the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, offering stunning photographs of species listed as vulnerable (VU), endangered (EN), critically endangered (CR), or extinct in the wild (EW). It also includes passages of threats afflicting a host of species over a broad range, such as fungal diseases in frogs, palm oil production on Southeast Asian rainforest habitats, rising sea levels near sensitive habitats (like the Florida Keys), and melting sea ice in the Arctic among others. For those interested, here's the summary on the back:

"Universally acclaimed photographer Joel Sartore carries us deep into the soul of every animals he documents. In this vivid book, he shares nearly 300 portraits of those most threatened with extinction in this hazardous era of global concerns. Selected from the National Geographic Photo Ark, these images represent Sartore's ambition to photograph each of the world's animal species under human care -- a number he estimates to be more than 12,000. Now celebrating its 15th year [at the time], the Photo Ark already contains images of more than 10,000 species: some common and some so rare that Sartore has depicted the last of its kind. From the tiniest tree frog to the orca and the African (savannah) elephant, here is the animal kingdom in all its abundance, gloriously displayed in a book that advances the mission of protecting the planet we all share."

My copy's a little worse for wear, but I'm embracing it now. The least this book does is serve as a photographic record for the few species that may have since faced greater threats. I'll certainly be looking more into this (and keeping it in better conditions) in the days ahead. As we stand within the Sixth Mass Extinction -- the fastest one yet, and one caused by humans -- we need to mobilize to learn more about the natural world and how we can better improve our behaviors to be more sustainable with our natural heritage. We can do it, and we must do it.

Description
Be sure to read the description before commenting below.

It may be 2023, but I thought I'd share a photo of yet another book of mine from a few years ago. This is my copy of the National Geographic book known as Vanishing: The World's Most Vulnerable Species. I received this as a Christmas gift in 2019 -- the holiday season I...had a bit of a fiasco and meltdown during. But I've moved on and, while it may be slightly dated in some respects, I believe it's still invoking and informative.

After I shared a photo of those Endangered Species stamps I posted last week , a peer had observed that the photos came from the world-famous photographer Joel Sartore, along with a foreword by Elizabeth Kolbert. When I was directed to this coincidence, I was inspired to share my copy of this book -- and an excellent one at that.

Published in 2019, Vanishing features ~300 different animals facing some kind of peril due to anthropogenic activities (a few in the book may have even gone extinct since). It covers a variety of species in the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, offering stunning photographs of species listed as vulnerable (VU), endangered (EN), critically endangered (CR), or extinct in the wild (EW). It also includes passages of threats afflicting a host of species over a broad range, such as fungal diseases in frogs, palm oil production on Southeast Asian rainforest habitats, rising sea levels near sensitive habitats (like the Florida Keys), and melting sea ice in the Arctic among others. For those interested, here's the summary on the back:

"Universally acclaimed photographer Joel Sartore carries us deep into the soul of every animals he documents. In this vivid book, he shares nearly 300 portraits of those most threatened with extinction in this hazardous era of global concerns. Selected from the National Geographic Photo Ark, these images represent Sartore's ambition to photograph each of the world's animal species under human care -- a number he estimates to be more than 12,000. Now celebrating its 15th year [at the time], the Photo Ark already contains images of more than 10,000 species: some common and some so rare that Sartore has depicted the last of its kind. From the tiniest tree frog to the orca and the African (savannah) elephant, here is the animal kingdom in all its abundance, gloriously displayed in a book that advances the mission of protecting the planet we all share."

My copy's a little worse for wear, but I'm embracing it now. The least this book does is serve as a photographic record for the few species that may have since faced greater threats. I'll certainly be looking more into this (and keeping it in better conditions) in the days ahead. As we stand within the Sixth Mass Extinction -- the fastest one yet, and one caused by humans -- we need to mobilize to learn more about the natural world and how we can better improve our behaviors to be more sustainable with our natural heritage. We can do it, and we must do it.