On the Backs of Tortoises: Darwin, the Galapagos, and the Fate of an Evolutionary Eden (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780300232745)

An insightful exploration of the iconic Gal疳agos tortoises, and how their fate is inextricably linked to our own in a rapidly changing world

The Gal疳agos archipelago is often viewed as a last foothold of pristine nature. For sixty years, conservationists have worked to restore this evolutionary Eden after centuries of exploitation at the hands of pirates, whalers, and island settlers. This book tells the story of the islands' namesakes--the giant tortoises--as coveted food sources, objects of natural history, and famous icons of conservation and tourism. By doing so, it brings into stark relief the paradoxical, and impossible, goal of conserving species by trying to restore a past state of prehistoric evolution. The tortoises, Elizabeth Hennessy demonstrates, are not prehistoric but rather microcosms whose stories show how deeply human and nonhuman life are entangled. In a world where evolution is thoroughly shaped by global history, Hennessy puts forward a vision for conservation based on reckoning with the past, rather than trying to erase it.

Author: Elizabeth Hennessy
ISBN-10: 0300232748
ISBN-13: 9780300232745
Publisher: Yale University Press
Language: English
Published: 10/29/2019
Pages: 336
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.45lbs
Size: 9.40h x 6.30w x 1.30d

Review Citation(s):
Booklist 09/15/2019 pg. 6