Wildlife Heroes: 40 Leading Conservationists and the Animals They Are Committed to Saving

Environmental advocates Scardina and Flocken profile the grassroots organizations, tenacious scientists, and willful philanthropists that shape today’s conservation policy and practice. Each portrait centers on a threatened or endangered species and describes the life and work of the person who has dedicated his career to protecting the species from extinction. Organized into sections corresponding to the four elements—Earth, Water, Air, and Fire—with introductory essays by celebrities like Ted Danson, the subjects are grouped according to their habitat, with “Fire” focusing on the broader threats to the world’s ecosystems. The pithy summaries of the activists’ struggles are accompanied by informative tidbits about the biology, behavior, natural history, and cultural context of the target species, along with delightful photographs of both human and beast. From the grassland-dwelling maned wolf of Central South America to the iceberg-hopping emperor penguin of Antarctica, the book shows how negative human interference imperils the welfare of all living things, and suggests that by taking an active role in conservation, education, and community building, we can help prevent the tragic loss of the world’s biological diversity. Agent: Sandra Choron, March Tenth Inc. (Mar.)