Synopses & Reviews
The remarkable story of how one of the most biologically diverse habitats in the world was destroyed, restored, and continues to evolveand#8212;with stunning, full-color photographs by two of the worldand#8217;s best wildlife photographers.andlt;brandgt;andlt;brandgt;In 1976, Gorongosa National Park was the premier park in Mozambique, boasting one of the densest wildlife populations in all of Africa. Across 1,500 square miles of lush green floodplains, thick palm forests, swampy lakes, and vast plains roamed creatures great and small, from herds of wildebeest and elephant to countless bird species and insects yet to be classified. Then came the civil war of 1978and#8211;1992, when much of the ecosystem was destroyed, reducing some large animal populations by 90 percent or more. Due to a remarkable conservation effort sponsored by an American entrepreneur, the park was restored in the 1990s and is now evolving back to its former state. This is the story of that incredible transformation and why such biological diversity is so important.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;In andlt;Iandgt;A Window on Eternityandlt;/Iandgt;, world-renowned biologist and two-time Pulitzer Prizeand#8211;winner Edward O. Wilson shows why biodiversity is vital to the future of the Earth, including our human population. It is in places like Gorongosa in Africa, explains Wilson, that our own species evolved. Wilson takes readers to the forested groves of the parkand#8217;s watershed on sacred Mount Gorongosa, then far away to deep gorges along the edge of the Rift Valley, places previously unexplored by biologists, with the aim of discovering new species and assessing their ancient origins. He treats readers to a war between termites and raider ants, describes and#8220;conversationsand#8221; with elephant herds, and explains the importance of a one-day and#8220;bioblitz.and#8221;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Praised as and#8220;one of the finest scientists writing todayand#8221; (andlt;Iandgt;Los Angeles Timesandlt;/Iandgt;), Wilson uses the story of Gorongosa to show the significance of biodiversity to humankind.
Review
and#8220;A lyrical ode to biodiversity. . . . Wilson speaks with passion throughout. . . . This volumeand#8217;s visual content [is] as remarkable as the stories.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;The rebirth of a premier nature reserve in Mozambique, recounted in a gentle storytelling style by noted Harvard entomologist Wilson. . . . A big story about a small place with an ageless appreciation and discernment it would be criminal to ignore.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;andlt;Iandgt;A Window on Eternity andlt;/Iandgt;revels in biodiversity and natureand#8217;s inventiveness. . . . Wilson plants his defiant flag defending biodiversity in a place once so brutally despoiled that its recovery is truly momentous.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Wilson specializes in ants, and his explanations about the importance of insect relationships and biodiversity in Gorongosa are charming and accessibleand#8212;no jargon, just joy.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;The famed biologist still gets giddy as a schoolboy when he encounters ants that can consume a live python, or describe how to hypnotize a dragonfly. Wilson waxes poetic about the marvel of the park's well-balanced ecosystems, but changes his tone in the final chapter: a condemnation of humanity trampling en route to what he calls the Eremocene, or Age of Loneliness.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Wilson suggests that our tired planet, managed wisely, can still demonstrate an enormous capacity for regeneration. . . . [his] prose consistently strikes a note of transcendence, and one sees a hint of that, too, in the pictures of Gorongosa by Piotr Nasrecki that accompany the text.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;The father of sociobiology and one of the most prolific science writers of our time, Edward O. Wilson is back with a new book that explores a slice of wilderness in deepest Africa. . . . As usual, Wilsonand#8217;s observations carry more weight than the descriptions of a simple naturalist. In andlt;iandgt;A Window on Eternityandlt;/iandgt;, he invites us to glimpse ourselves in the mirror of one of Earthand#8217;s few remaining wildernesses.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Wilson describes in language that is both poetic and scientific a kind of parable of what is possible in the realm of environmental protection. . . . By destroying the natural world, we are destroying ourselves. Our blindness to this reality is the most crucial and fundamental fact of the world today. andlt;iandgt;A Window on Eternityandlt;/iandgt; brings this reality into focus in a lucid and disarmingly gentle manner. It is a fitting capstone to Wilson's exceptional career.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Entomologist E.O. Wilson chronicles both the shifting ecology of Gorongosa after the war and how researchers are trying to repair the damage. . . . Naskreckiand#8217;s images are a delight, capturing the spirit of the recovering landscape and its animals, great and small. . . . Ultimately, the book is a cautionary tale about how human affairs are fundamentally entangled with the natural world.and#8221;
Review
"[Wilson is] The world's greatest living naturalist."
Synopsis
andlt;iandgt;A Window on Eternityandlt;/iandgt; is a stunning book of splendid prose and gorgeous photography about one of the biologically richest places in Africa and perhaps in the world. Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique was nearly destroyed in a brutal civil war, then was reborn and is now evolv-ing back to its original state. Edward O. Wilsonand#8217;s personal, luminous description of the wonders of Gorongosa is beautifully complemented by Piotr Naskreckiand#8217;s extraordinary photographs of the parkand#8217;s exquisite natural beauty. A bonus DVD of Academy Awardand#8211;winning director Jessica Yuand#8217;s documentary, andlt;I andgt;The Guideandlt;/Iandgt;, is also included with the book. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Wilson takes readers to the summit of Mount Gorongosa, sacred to the local people and the parkand#8217;s vital watershed. From the forests of the mountain he brings us to the deep gorges on the edge of the Rift Valley, previously unexplored by biologists, to search for new species and assess their ancient origins. He describes amazing animal encounters from huge colonies of agricultural termites to speand#173;cialized raider ants that feed on them to giant spiand#173;ders, a battle between an eagle and a black mamba, and#8220;conversationsand#8221; with traumatized elephants that survived the slaughter of the parkand#8217;s large animals, and more. He pleads for Gorongosaand#8212;and other wild placesand#8212;to be allowed to exist and evolve in its timeand#173;less way uninterrupted into the future. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;As he examines the near destruction and rebirth of Gorongosa, Wilson analyzes the balance of nature, which, he observes, teeters on a razorand#8217;s edge. Loss of even a single species can have serious ramifications throughout an ecosystem, and yet we are carelessly destroying complex biodiverse ecosystems with unknown consequences. The wildlands in which these ecosystems flourish gave birth to humanity, and it is this natural world, still evolving, that may outlast us and become our legand#173;acy, our window on eternity.
About the Author
Edward O. Wilson is generally recognized as one of the worldand#8217;s leading scientists. He is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and the author of many influential books, including andlt;i andgt;The Diversity of Lifeandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;i andgt;Naturalistandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;i andgt;The Antsandlt;/iandgt;, and andlt;iandgt;Sociobiology: The New Synthesisandlt;/iandgt;. He is currently Honorary Curator in Entomology and University Research Professor Emeritus, Harvard University.