Precious Heritage The Status of Biodiversity in the United States

Gigantic in geographical scope, the United States is home to a wealth ofnatural beauty. It has the largest number of known species of any temperatecountry, including the most species of mammals and among the most abundantflora. With the greatest range of biome types of any country on the planet, itextends from rain forest to Arctic tundra and from coral reefs to great lakes,and it leads the world in diversity of salamanders, crayfishes, and freshwaterturtles and mollusks. However, much of this natural richness has yet to beexplored as Americans continue to put development above natural preservation. Infact, if Americans persist in exploiting the land, the nation's naturalenvironment will soon be fully destroyed.One way to prevent such devastation is through awareness, and PreciousHeritage, with its mix of mathematical analyses and precise descriptions of manyhabitats and species, does just that. This wide-ranging book from the NatureConservancy brings together leading environmental experts who offer the mostlucid and thorough examination of the nation's biota ever presented. Utilizingthe best available database on the biodiversity of the United States, PreciousHeritage provides information on all the 4,350 species of plants and animalsthat are threatened or endangered within the range of the United States. Andfull-color examples, graphs, and detailed charts occur throughout.As the largest non-profit association devoted to the environment with over800,000 members, the Nature Conservancy is among the best possible sources ofenvironmental information. And it is strongly dedicated to promoting a level ofawareness about America's biotic history. In Precious Heritage, the NatureConservancy combines its knowledge with its objective to advance awareness intoone comprehensive volume, ultimately empowering the nation's habitats. As such,this book is appropriate for conservationists, scientists, students, or anyonewho believes in preserving America's natural beauty.