The Myth of Wild Africa - by Jonathan S Adams & Thomas O McShane (Paperback)

About the Book

Africa's wildlife heritage is under siege--and its worst enemy may be traditional conservation methods. The authors tell of new conservation programs that include more Africans in the planning, execution, and financial benefits of this multi-billion dollar business.

Book Synopsis

Most people would feel a great loss if elephants, rhinos, or gorillas were to become extinct, but would we willingly move our families, change our means of earning a living, and disrupt our culture to prevent their extinction? People living in rural Africa are being asked to do just this by the world community. The Myth of Wild Africa explores a joint African/Western approach to conservation with the goal of returning control to the African nations.

From the Back Cover

"The vital position of Africans in effective conservation has not been well described for the Western public, and The Myth of Wild Africa takes an important step in redressing this lack of understanding. For anyone interested in the realities of conservation, it is a book well worth reading."--Dr. Amy Vedder, Biodiversity Program Coordinator, Wildlife Conservation Society

"A thoughtful and important examination of . . . the fatal fallacies of old-style conservation. The relationship between wildlife and people in Africa is as old as our species itself. The future of both must be taken into account together. Required reading for anyone who has ever cared about one or the other."--Thomas E. Lovejoy, Assistant Secretary for External Affairs, Smithsonian Institution

"I've never read any single other volume that has had as much impact on the problems, politics, and policies--and possible solution--of conservation in Africa."--Gary C. Clarke, Director Emeritus, Topeka, Kansas Zoological Park

Review Quotes

"A useful introduction to the complex issues that must be confronted by Africans and their concerned friends from abroad. The book's central message--that Africans are the solution and not the problem--will come as no surprise to conservationists, but it is a point well worth emphasizing nonetheless."-- "New York Times"

"First issued in 1992 and reissued in 1996 with a new afterward, The Myth of Wild Africa argues that researchers and conservation agencies should base their conclusions on hard data rather than preconceived stereotypes. Eschewing the dramatic emotional appeals that mark many western conservation groups' African campaigns, Jonathan S. Adams and Thomas McShane make a straightforward argument for an Afrocentric conservation policy."-- "African Studies Review"

"Should be essential reading for anyone with an interest in the future of the African continent, its wildlife and its people."-- "New Scientist"

"The 'Myth of wild Africa' . . . is the false notion that Africa was ever a continent untouched by the hand of man, and that its wildlife can be conserved without winning the support of its people . . . It is a brave attempt to take sentimentality out of conservation." -- "The Economist"

"The authors' eloquent plea that "conservation cannot ignore the needs of human beings'' may be provocative, but it is long overdue. A must read, then, for conservationists, Africanists, and animal lovers."-- "Kirkus"

About the Author

Jonathan S. Adams is a conservationist and writer living in Washington, D.C. Thomas O. McShane is program officer for Africa in the World Wide Fund for Nature.