VeryShortIntroductions:Brilliant,Sharp,InspiringExtinctionisanaturalprocess.Ingeologicaltimetherehavebeenseveralperiodsofmassextinction.Oneoftheseperiodsisunfoldingrightnowbutalltheevidencesuggeststhatcurrentextinctionratesarebetweenahundredandathousandtimesgreaterthanthebackgroundrate.Toputthisintocontext,aquarterofallknownmammalianspeciesisatrisk.Thecurrentextinctioncrisisisunique,becauseitiscausedbytheimpactofonespecies,humans,onallothers.Thisaccelerationofspeciesloss,andthemuchmorewidespreadreductionsinthepopulationsofmanyspecies,isnotmerelyatragedyinaesthetics,itisalsoathreattothequalityofhumanlife,indeedtotheentirehumanenterprise.Biodiversity,thediversityoflife,isnotonlyfascinatingandbeautiful,itistheengineofalltheworld’snaturalcycles,andthesourceofmanyoftheresourcesonwhichhumanitydepends.Concernaboutbiodiversityconservationis,therefore,notmerelythepreoccupationofafewenthusiasticnaturalists-itisthelifelinebusinessofeverybody.InthisVeryShortIntroduction,DavidMacdonaldintroducestheconceptofbiodiversityandthebasicbiologicalprocessesthatitinvolves-evolutionary,ecological,andbehavioral.Heconsidersthevariousthreatstobiodiversity,theirimpacts,andsomeofthesolutionstotheproblems;concludingbyconsideringthefutureofbiodiversityconservation.ABOUTTHESERIES:TheVeryShortIntroductionsseriesfromOxfordUniversityPresscontainshundredsoftitlesinalmosteverysubjectarea.Thesepocket-sizedbooksaretheperfectwaytogetaheadinanewsubjectquickly.Ourexpertauthorscombinefacts,analysis,perspective,newideas,andenthusiasmtomakeinterestingandchallengingtopicshighlyreadable.
