The Kingdom of Rarities (42 page)

Emmons, Louise H., ed.
The Maned Wolves of Noel Kempff Mercado National Park
. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, no. 639. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press, 2012.

Ecology of maned wolves in Bolivia.

Klink, Carlos A., and Ricardo B. Machado. “Conservation of the Brazilian Cerrado.”
Conservation Biology
19, no. 3 (2005): 707–13.

A fine overview of the biological importance of the Cerrado and the major threats to its conservation.

Oliviera, Paulo S., and Robert J. Marquis.
The Cerrados of Brazil: Ecology and Natural History of a Neotropical Savanna
. New York: Columbia University Press, 2002.

An important book on the ecology of the Cerrado, including chapters on diverse topics such as land use, plant communities, the role of fire in the system, and animal community diversity and natural history.

Silva, José Maria Cardoso da, and John M. Bates. “Biogeographic Patterns and Conservation in the South American Cerrado: A Tropical Savanna Hotspot.”
BioScience
52, no. 3 (2002): 225–34.

This paper introduces the Cerrado's savannas in a global context and describes the main biogeographic patterns. It also introduces the principal vegetation types and highlights the origin and evolution of species diversity and endemism in the region.

Silveira, Leandro, Anah Tereza de Almeida Jácomo, Mariana Malzoni Furtado, Natália Mundim Tôrres, Rahel Sollmann, and Carly Vynne. “Ecology of the Giant Armadillo (
Priodontes maximus
) in the Grasslands of Central Brazil.”
Edentata
, nos. 8–10 (2009): 25–34.

One of the few scientific discussions of the giant armadillo. The most extensive study to date, recently conducted in Emas National Park, is reported in this paper.

Tollefson, Jeff. “Brazil Revisits Forest Code.”
Nature
476 (August 17, 2011): 259–60.

In 2011, Brazil revisited its 1965 Forest Code, which has been a cornerstone in the country's environmental protection efforts. The current law being revisited requires that landowners in the Cerrado must maintain 20–35 percent of their land (depending on the state) in a natural state and that those who had cleared illegally must reforest to that level.

Vynne, Carly, Jonah L. Keim, Ricardo B. Machado, Jader Marinho-Filho, Leandro Silveira, Martha J. Groom, and Samuel K. Wasser. “Resource Selection and Its Implications for Wide-Ranging Mammals of the Brazilian Cerrado.”
PLoS ONE
6, no. 12 (2011).

Results of a field study of the landscape features selected by the giant armadillo, giant anteater, puma, jaguar, and maned wolf in and around a nature reserve in the Brazilian Cerrado. Conservation of these five wide-ranging species will require prioritizing the landscape features and composition requirements identified in this paper and ensuring that these features are maintained, protected, and restored.

Vynne, Carly, John R. Skalski, Ricardo B. Machado, Martha J. Groom, Anah T. A. Jácomo, Jader Marinho-Filho, Mario B. Ramos Neto, et al. “Effectiveness of Scat-Detection Dogs in Determining Species Presence in a Tropical Savanna Landscape.”
Conservation Biology
25, no. 1 (2011): 154–62.

All about the effectiveness of using scat detection dogs to study rare wide-ranging mammals in the Brazilian Cerrado. The distributions of giant armadillos, giant anteaters, pumas, jaguars, and maned wolves in and around Emas National Park, in the Brazilian Cerrado, are also reported.

Chapter
7
. Invasion and Resistance

Hargreaves, Dorothy, and Bob Hargreaves.
Tropical Trees of Hawaii
. Honolulu: Island Heritage, 1964.

A nice pictorial guide to Hawaii's native and exotic trees.

Hawaii Audubon Society.
Hawaii's Birds
. Honolulu: Hawaii Audubon Society, 1997.

Excellent field guide.

Pratt, Thane K., Carter T. Atkinson, Paul C. Banko, James D. Jacobi, and Bethany L. Woodworth, eds.
Conservation Biology of Hawaiian Forest Birds: Implications for Island Avifauna
. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2009.

A veritable encyclopedia of Hawaiian forest birds, full of useful information about their history and ecology and efforts to recover extant species.

Quammen, David.
The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinctions
. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1997.

A highly readable popular account of the biology of true islands and mainland islands and the effects of fragmentation on extinction of populations.

Soehren, Rick.
The Birdwatcher's Guide to Hawaii
. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1996.

Excellent compact field guide.

Wagner, Warren L., and Vicki A. Funk, eds.
Hawaiian Biogeography: Evolution on a Hot Spot Archipelago
. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1995.

Covers the radiations of Hawaii's most interesting groups and is a great source of evolutionary insights.

Weiner, Jonathan.
The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time
. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994.

Excellent account of adaptive radiation and speciation among Galápagos finches.

Wilson, Edward O. “The Nature of the Taxon Cycle in the Melanesian Ant Fauna.”
American Naturalist
95, no. 882 (1961): 169–93.

The introduction of the concept of the taxon cycle as applied to a wellstudied and widespread group—ants.

Chapter
8
. Ghosts of Indochina

Baltzer, Michael C., Thi Dao Nguyen, and Robert G. Shore.
Towards a Vision for Biodiversity Conservation in the Forests of the Lower Mekong Ecoregion Complex
. Hanoi: WWF-Indochina; Washington, DC: WWF-US; Gland, Switzerland: WWF International, 2001.

This seminal work maps the biogeography of the Lower Mekong Dry Forests Ecoregion and prioritizes landscapes for conservation action. It has been the basis for a range of conservation programs and regional planning documents.

Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund.
Ecosystem Profile: Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot; Indochina Region
. Final version. Arlington, VA: Conservation International, Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, May 2007.
http://www.cepf.net/Documents/final.indoburmaindochina.ep.pdf
.

An up-to-date snapshot of conservation priorities in the Indo-Burma region, covering both landscapes and species.

Duckworth, J. William, and S. Blair Hedges.
Tracking Tigers: A Review of the Status of Tiger, Asian Elephant, Gaur, and Banteng in Vietnam, Lao[s], Cambodia, and Yunnan (China), with Recommendations for
Future Conservation Action
. Hanoi: WWF Indochina Programme, 1998.

A startling older account of the rarity of very large mammals in the Indochina region; the situation is even bleaker now.

Duckworth, J. William, Richard E. Salter, and Khamkhoun Khounboline, eds.
Wildlife in Lao PDR: 1999 Status Report
. Vientiane: IUCN—World Conservation Union, Wildlife Conservation Society, and Centre for Protected Areas and Watershed Management.

The definitive book on the wildlife of Lao PDR, its distribution, and its status. Although now an older text, this remains the go-to reference on wildlife in Lao PDR.

Hardcastle, James, Steph Cox, Thi Dao Nguyen, and Andrew Grieser Johns, eds.
Rediscovering the Saola: Proceedings of “Rediscovering the Saola—A Status Review and Conservation Planning Workshop.”
Hanoi: WWF Indochina Programme, 2005.

An overview of the status and ecology of Indochina's flagship species, the saola. This document outlines a regional plan of action to recover the species before its extinction.

IUCN-SSC Asian Wild Cattle Specialist Group.
Regional Conservation Strategy for Wild Cattle and Buffaloes in South-east Asia
. Gland, Switzerland: International Union for Conservation of Nature, Species Survival Commission, 2010.

A clear plan of conservation needs and status of the bovids of Southeast Asia.

McShea, William J., Stuart J. Davies, and Naris Bhumpakphan, eds.
The Ecology and Conservation of Seasonally Dry Forests in Asia
. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press and Rowman and Littlefield, 2011.

A fascinating account of the ecology of the dry forests, from their structure, dynamics, and floral composition to the elephants, wild cattle, deer, and tigers that call it home to the use and management of the forest by local communities and the role of fire in the ecosystem.

Sterling, Eleanor Jane, Martha Maud Hurley, and Le Duc Minh.
Vietnam: A Natural History
. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2006.

The only text on the natural history of Vietnam, this book is easy to read for the nonspecialist. It highlights the amazing biodiversity of Vietnam and explains the conservation challenges that Vietnam faces.

TRAFFIC, 2008. “What's Driving the Wildlife Trade? A Report of Expert Opinion on Economic and Social Drivers of the Wildlife Trade and Trade Control Efforts in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, and Vietnam.” East Asia and Pacific Regional Sustainable Development Discussion Papers. Washington, DC: World Bank, East Asia and Pacific Region Sustainable Development Department, 2008.

The greatest threat to wildlife across the Indochina region is the rampant and largely uncontrolled wildlife trade. This important report documents the drivers of this trade, highlighting the scale and complexity of the issue from both the demand and enforcement angles.

Chapter
9
. Rarity Made Common

Inskipp, Carol, Tim Inskipp, and Richard Grimmett.
Birds of Bhutan
. London: Christopher Helm, 1999.

The definitive guide to birds of this nation.

Seidensticker, John, Eric Dinerstein, Surendra P. Goyal, Bhim Gurung, Abishek Harihar, A. J. T. Johnsingh, Anil Manandhar, et al. “Tiger Range Collapse and Recovery at the Base of the Himalayas.” In
The Biology and Conservation of Wild Felids
, edited by David W. Macdonald and Andrew J. Loveridge, 305–23. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010.

An account of rapid loss of tigers and recovery in a habitat that supports among the highest densities of tigers on Earth.

Wangchuk, Tashi, Phuntso Thinley, Karma Tshering, Chado Tshering, and Deki Yonten.
Field Guide to the Mammals of Bhutan
. Thimpu: Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation, 2004.

The first comprehensive guide to the mammals of Bhutan.

Wikramanayake, Eric, Eric Dinerstein, John Seidensticker, Susan Lumpkin, Bivash Pandav, Mahendra Shrestha, Hemanta Mishra, et al. “A Landscape-Based Conservation Strategy to Double the Wild Tiger Population.”
Conservation Letters
4, no. 3 (2011): 219–27.

The scientific underpinning for the ambitious conservation goal of doubling the number of wild tigers by 2022, adopted by the tiger range countries in November 2010 at the International Forum on Tiger Conservation, St. Petersburg, Russia.

Eric Dinerstein is Lead Scientist and Vice President of Conservation Science at World Wildlife Fund-US. Over the past forty years he has studied bears, rhinos, tigers, bats, and plants and many other creatures around the globe, and he remains active in the conservation of rare species. He has published over one hundred scientific papers and several books, including
The Return of the Unicorns: The Natural History and Conservation of the Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros
and
Tigerland and Other Unintended Destinations
. In 2007,
Tigerland
won the American Association for the Advancement of Science's award for science writing, the AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books.

Page numbers followed by “f ” indicate maps and illustrations.

Aardvark,
174

Abundance, defining,
3
–
4

Acacia,
176
.
See also
Koa forests

Accessibility, paradox of,
46
–
47

Adaptations,
164
,
191

Adaptive radiation,
34
,
184
–
185
,
193

Adult female mortality,
118
,
131

African violet,
5

Age of Mammals,
169
–
170

Agent Orange,
223
–
225

Agriculture

Cerrado and,
151
–
154
,
168
,
176
–
178

countryside biogeography and,
153

Hawaii and,
196

maned wolves and,
170
–
171

Airborne laser scanning,
66

‘ākepas
192

‘akiap ‘ōlā',,
183
,
184
,
189
,
197
–
201
,
199
f

‘alalā,
202
–
203

De Almeida Jácomo, Anah Tereza,
162
,
168
–
169

Altitudinal stratification,
35
,
42

Alto Purús National Park,
81

Amazon rain forest,
49
–
52
,
57
f.
See also
Madre de Dios region

Amphibians,
8
,
19
,
45
–
46
.
See also specific amphibians

Andean cock-of-the-rock,
13
–
14
,
13
f

Angkor Wat,
232
,
238
–
239

Annamite Mountains,
208
–
210
,
209
f,
221
–
222

Annamite muntjac,
221

Anteaters,
155
,
173
.
See also
Giant anteater; Scaly anteater

Anthropocene epoch,
6
,
270