People in Nature

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The most extensive, undisturbed tropical forests and wetlands on our planet are located in South and Central America. The persistence of intact ecosystems in South America, and to a lesser degree in Central America, is the result of the region's unique mixture of human cultures and of its inhabitants'continued reliance on wild plants and animals for subsistence and economic use. The worldview of the region's indigenous peoples, which does not separate humans and nature, has fused with the worldviews of African, European, and East Indian immigrants to produce a new conservation "philosophy." Biologists and resource managers in the region have developed research and conservation tools that are both scientifically rigorous and uniquely adapted to make use of the biological, economic, and spiritual links between humans and nonhuman nature. People in Nature highlights South and Central American approaches to wildlife conservation and documents both the current state and the historical development of a Latin American conservation and management strategy. The book addresses the threats to biodiversity caused by ranching, habitat fragmentation, fishing, and hunting and critically assesses the potential benefits and risks of continued human use of wildlife. By making available in English research results originally presented in Spanish or Portuguese at the first five International Conferences on Wildlife Management and Conservation in Latin America and the Amazon, this book also reverses the traditional flow of information and innovation in conservation practices from North to South and Central America, providing North American and European researchers and conservationists with management solutions potentially applicable in their own regions.