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Noah's Choice: The Future of Endangered Species
In the Sans Bois Mountains of Oklahoma, a lustrous orange and mahogany beetle drags a tiny carcass across a patch of ground shaken by bulldozers clearing the way for a new highway that threatens the beetle's existence. Workers at a housing development near Austin, Texas, cut a swath through a tangle of young oaks and sumacs, once home to a colony of rare, olive-winged birds. On a sand dune bordering a shopping center in Albany, New York, a security guard patrols a chain-link fence, keeping curious shoppers out of an area reserved for several hundred little blue butterflies. These are scenes emblematic of America's fractious and expensive battle to save its natural heritage. To report on this battle, Charles C. Mann and Mark L. Plummer traveled throughout the United States; they discovered a nation struggling to balance the protection of its troubled ecosystems with the ordinary needs of its human inhabitants - a nation that is increasingly racked by conflict and confusion over endangered species and the law intended to protect them, the Endangered Species Act. Noah's Choice illuminates the essential questions that now confront environmentalists, developers, ecologists, and, indeed, all Americans. Why do some species face extinction, and why should we care? How serious is the problem, and how much will fixing it cost? Can we save all of nature and still have all the material things we want? And if we cannot, how should we choose which species to bring aboard our ark - and which to leave behind? Gracefully written, thoroughly researched, deeply felt, and unfailingly honest, Noah's Choice provides a haven from the storm of polemic that surrounds this issue. The authors suggest newprinciples for striking a desperately important balance between the needs of human beings and the rest of the world, and provide an invaluable blueprint to guide us in discharging the awesome responsibility of choosing among species.
302 pages, Hardcover
First published February 14, 1995
About the author
Charles C. Mann
34 books1,063 followersCharles C. Mann is a correspondent for Science and The Atlantic Monthly, and has cowritten four previous books including
Noah’s Choice: The Future of Endangered Species and The Second Creation
. A three-time National Magazine Award finalist, he has won awards from the American Bar Association, the Margaret Sanger Foundation, the American Institute of Physics, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, among others. His writing was selected for The Best American Science Writing 2003 and The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2003. He lives with his wife and their children in Amherst, Massachusetts.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 30, 2014
Mann (author of 1491 and 1493) and Plummer dive into looking at the Endangered Species Act, 20 years old at the time the book was published, and embark on a sensitive and nuanced view of how making a commitment to biodiversity is often not easy, affordable, or sensitive to the needs of communities where endangered species live. People on both sides of the biodiversity/conservation argument could stand to read this book, as the authors arrive at what I think is a pretty rational call to talk about conservation on a national level and tweak the ESA to make it more usable in real life, more incentivized, and less of an "asking for the moon" piece of legislation. I thought this was a very balanced look at how we as a society can meet the needs of our citizens and still protect and repair our ecological heritage. This book is about 20 years old, so doubtless some of the data discussed within has changed, but I think the discussions within are still relevant.
August 10, 2022
In a round trip of ecology, with stops at entomology, ornithology and ichthyology, Mann and Plummer illuminate our nation’s universal conflict between altruistic ideals of environmental conservation and the ordinary needs of the humans that inhabit these increasingly contestable regions of the US. This universal struggle is particularized in the case of several active battlegrounds which are all governed by the Endangered Species Act( ESA), yet each remain individual instances of species conservation. The Burying Beetle(N. Americanus) , Karner Blue Butterfly (L. m. samuelis), Whooping Crane (G. americana), Black Capped Vireo (P. vireo) and the Snail Darter (P. tanasi) all represent cases in which Mann and Plummer examine ongoing protection efforts and their fractious nature when implemented within the US’s socioeconomic system. Increasing conflict and confusion around the ESA from ecologists, economists, developers and politicians alike provides an opportunity to reevaluate the letter and spirit of the ESA, and consider what the aim of protecting endangered species could become if enforced genuinely and practicably.
This polemic of the Endangered Species Act is unsettling, especially to one’s who hold paramount the preservation of biodiversity, yet instrumental to understand the intersection of values when developing a conservation plan for threatened and endangered species. Mann focuses particular attention to the legal wording of the ESA, that in his view, is causing rifts between conservationists and human denizens of contested areas. The ESA has been invoked to halt developments numerous times since it’s inception in 1973, yet much to the dismay of these groups only a handful of species have actually recovered as direct result of the Act (many have recovered due to other initiatives such as reducing CFC and DDTs). This, Mann believes, to be a failure and ineptitude to produce “practicable” efforts to save species without perpetual indignation from shareholders and constituents. The ESA gives species, a sometimes arbitrary designation, priority over ANY potential human venture including hospitals, schools and general public convictions as well as requiring “full-duty” from citizens near these species to adhere to Fish & Wildlife regulations, a “Noah Principle” as Mann puts it.
As no genuine ecologist or conservationist wants to see the law weakened, it is hard to take Mann’s criticisms but his evidence throughout the book speaks volumes to just how out of touch a law can be with public discourse. Throughout the US, there are differing values competing through public discourse and litigation, although it be a handicapped system, if we do not believe our institutions are capable, it is our duty to participate and correct our ship rather than abandon it. The potential of the ESA to limit discourse and create agitated denizens who grow to detest the illusory laws and requirements of endangered species can have harmful ramifications in the public sphere. In most cases the ubiquitous law establishes resistance to preserving threatened species rather than providing a space where efforts to preserve them can be celebrated. This, Mann claims, is the ultimate failure of the law and the mandate-like nature of the Act, requiring people to forgo the ability to weigh values in a civic conversation and allow differing views of developers, economists, residents, and conservationists to be heard and resolved. “But-and this is vital- policy makers cannot be required to follow the dictates of experts, whether they are economists or ecologists. In a democratic system, elected officials must be free to make the decisions they feel represent their constituents wishes”. Rather incentivizing good behavior vice mandating it is perhaps the proper method in a democratic society.
“Not every species can be saved”. It hurts to type but it’s true. Noah indeed must make a choice and without divine intervention this time. His choice will effect all parts of our collective ecosystem including humans and their towns, hospitals and schools. Preserving biodiversity is essential to ME but sadly i cannot impose my concern on YOU and i will have to concede to the values of the other members of my community in a public discourse. That means that ecologists, biologists, conservationist must accept the risk of weakening the law that requires perfection and replace it with a law that rewards the good efforts of both public and private ventures to preserve biodiversity. Trading a utopian dream for a practicable and moderately good reality will be difficult however necessary if the warnings of Mann are to be headed
This polemic of the Endangered Species Act is unsettling, especially to one’s who hold paramount the preservation of biodiversity, yet instrumental to understand the intersection of values when developing a conservation plan for threatened and endangered species. Mann focuses particular attention to the legal wording of the ESA, that in his view, is causing rifts between conservationists and human denizens of contested areas. The ESA has been invoked to halt developments numerous times since it’s inception in 1973, yet much to the dismay of these groups only a handful of species have actually recovered as direct result of the Act (many have recovered due to other initiatives such as reducing CFC and DDTs). This, Mann believes, to be a failure and ineptitude to produce “practicable” efforts to save species without perpetual indignation from shareholders and constituents. The ESA gives species, a sometimes arbitrary designation, priority over ANY potential human venture including hospitals, schools and general public convictions as well as requiring “full-duty” from citizens near these species to adhere to Fish & Wildlife regulations, a “Noah Principle” as Mann puts it.
As no genuine ecologist or conservationist wants to see the law weakened, it is hard to take Mann’s criticisms but his evidence throughout the book speaks volumes to just how out of touch a law can be with public discourse. Throughout the US, there are differing values competing through public discourse and litigation, although it be a handicapped system, if we do not believe our institutions are capable, it is our duty to participate and correct our ship rather than abandon it. The potential of the ESA to limit discourse and create agitated denizens who grow to detest the illusory laws and requirements of endangered species can have harmful ramifications in the public sphere. In most cases the ubiquitous law establishes resistance to preserving threatened species rather than providing a space where efforts to preserve them can be celebrated. This, Mann claims, is the ultimate failure of the law and the mandate-like nature of the Act, requiring people to forgo the ability to weigh values in a civic conversation and allow differing views of developers, economists, residents, and conservationists to be heard and resolved. “But-and this is vital- policy makers cannot be required to follow the dictates of experts, whether they are economists or ecologists. In a democratic system, elected officials must be free to make the decisions they feel represent their constituents wishes”. Rather incentivizing good behavior vice mandating it is perhaps the proper method in a democratic society.
“Not every species can be saved”. It hurts to type but it’s true. Noah indeed must make a choice and without divine intervention this time. His choice will effect all parts of our collective ecosystem including humans and their towns, hospitals and schools. Preserving biodiversity is essential to ME but sadly i cannot impose my concern on YOU and i will have to concede to the values of the other members of my community in a public discourse. That means that ecologists, biologists, conservationist must accept the risk of weakening the law that requires perfection and replace it with a law that rewards the good efforts of both public and private ventures to preserve biodiversity. Trading a utopian dream for a practicable and moderately good reality will be difficult however necessary if the warnings of Mann are to be headed
August 25, 2011
This was a very clear-eyed, sober, and grave look at the preservation of species. Similar to Listed: Dispatches from America's Endangered Species Act in subject matter and scope, but differing drastically in tone and outlook. While Listed was optimistic (at some point to an almost-Pollyannish degree) Noah's Choice was realistic to the point of being overly pessimistic at times. An equally important book, but much less fun to read. This is odd, because I've greatly enjoyed Charles C. Mann's writing elsewhere. I'm not sure whether it was the subject matter, the approach, or the presence of a coauthor that hampered him here.
Part of the "less fun to read" is that in several chapters, they get too bogged down in the details of regional and species-specific debates without looking at the broader picture. These were interesting at the outset (specifically the Karner blue butterfly) but got less so as the level of detail increased.
My only other real issue with the book was completely out of the authors' control, which is that much of the science (especially regarding megafaunal extinctions in the Pleistocene) have been called into question. Science books are just prone to becoming outdated, and they shouldn't be blamed for that.
Other than those three caveats, I did enjoy the book. But more than that, I am glad I've read it, because it is an important work, and another viewpoint on one of the biggest issues humanity faces.
Part of the "less fun to read" is that in several chapters, they get too bogged down in the details of regional and species-specific debates without looking at the broader picture. These were interesting at the outset (specifically the Karner blue butterfly) but got less so as the level of detail increased.
My only other real issue with the book was completely out of the authors' control, which is that much of the science (especially regarding megafaunal extinctions in the Pleistocene) have been called into question. Science books are just prone to becoming outdated, and they shouldn't be blamed for that.
Other than those three caveats, I did enjoy the book. But more than that, I am glad I've read it, because it is an important work, and another viewpoint on one of the biggest issues humanity faces.
February 6, 2020
Expertly researched and nuanced criticism of the Endangered Species Act as it's implemented and written, and makes compelling arguments for why an overhaul would serve its purpose more effectively. Still an excellent and valuable read, 25 years later! I would love to read a second edition or a sequel.
February 20, 2017
"'The perfect society to which we aspire in theory may become a powerful enemy of the good society we can become in fact.'" -- Mark Sagoff, philosopher, quoted in Noah's Choice.
I'm a little outside my knowledge field with this one, so it's hard to rank it in terms of validity. Despite my work with captive exotics, I have limited background in wildlife management while they're still, well, in the wild. I hadn't encountered many of the concepts in this book before, such as the species-area curve for relating habitat loss to biodiversity loss (even if the authors go on to point out this is a poor method of such calculations). Most interesting to me was the history of the Endangered Species Act and how had come to exist in its current form, and how it has been applied. It was also interesting to see a whole history of the Karner Blue butterfly conservation projects nationwide, having spent a cold, rainy day planting lupine in NH as a part of this program myself. The authors choose a few species which they use as representations of what is wrong with the Endangered Species Act and how it is being enforced. I found the amount of detail given for these species a little too heavy (skimming large sections of dollar amounts and regional details was not uncommon) and this made it hard to follow their ideas at times. They end the book by outlining changes that must occur in biodiversity management if any practicable solutions are going to be found -- basically we have to get away from the idealistic "Noah Principle" of trying save everything and make the hard chocies to save what we can. I don't know how viable their suggestions are, but they do an excellent job of identifying problems and making an argument for their variations.
I'm a little outside my knowledge field with this one, so it's hard to rank it in terms of validity. Despite my work with captive exotics, I have limited background in wildlife management while they're still, well, in the wild. I hadn't encountered many of the concepts in this book before, such as the species-area curve for relating habitat loss to biodiversity loss (even if the authors go on to point out this is a poor method of such calculations). Most interesting to me was the history of the Endangered Species Act and how had come to exist in its current form, and how it has been applied. It was also interesting to see a whole history of the Karner Blue butterfly conservation projects nationwide, having spent a cold, rainy day planting lupine in NH as a part of this program myself. The authors choose a few species which they use as representations of what is wrong with the Endangered Species Act and how it is being enforced. I found the amount of detail given for these species a little too heavy (skimming large sections of dollar amounts and regional details was not uncommon) and this made it hard to follow their ideas at times. They end the book by outlining changes that must occur in biodiversity management if any practicable solutions are going to be found -- basically we have to get away from the idealistic "Noah Principle" of trying save everything and make the hard chocies to save what we can. I don't know how viable their suggestions are, but they do an excellent job of identifying problems and making an argument for their variations.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews