The Caribbean is a global biodiversity hotspot, half its resident bird species found nowhere else; yet a quarter are threatened with extinction. This is largely because only 1% of the landscape can be considered natural, with nearly all the land privately owned. The habitat limitations faced by the Caribbean’s distinctive fauna and flora can therefore be ameliorated by planning and managing sustainable naturalistic landscapes, parks, and private gardens. This book uniquely provides a theoretical background and practical applications to modify and expand temperate-zone concepts of restoring nature to the tropical Caribbean. Packed with beautiful colour photographs, it offers unifying principles applicable across the tropics and synthesizes information on the Caribbean’s environmental uniqueness and globally significant biodiversity. It also provides explicit guidance on establishing sustainable and more naturalistic landscapes, from large public lands to private yards and gardens. The book is essential reading for academics and researchers studying the Caribbean environment, resource management professionals, and scientists and educators from non-governmental organizations who provide programs and advocacy for conservation and regional sustainability. Moreover, it highlights the importance of private lands and gardens, where the greatest gains can be made, so offers a handbook for knowledgeable private landowners and their professional advisors.
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1. Caribbean nature
Chapter 2. Recovering nature
Chapter 3. Place-based conservation
Chapter 4. Practical matters
Chapter 5. Nature-friendly plants
Chapter 6. Birds, butterflies, and other animals
Chapter 7. Reflections on conserving Caribbean nature
Chapter 8. Resources
Index
Biography
James A. Kushlan is a biologist, and writer who lives in Coconut Grove, Florida, and Annapolis, Maryland, USA. In his 12 books and over 250 technical articles, he shares with a diverse audience his perspectives on science, conservation, and natural history. His books include:The Herons; Heron Conservation; Storks, Ibis, and Spoonbills of the World; Attracting Birds to South Florida Gardens; Seeking the American Tropics, South Florida’s Early Naturalists; and three books on South Florida’s national parks. He holds a PhD from the University of Miami and two honorary doctor of science degrees. His professional positions have included director of Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, research associate of the Smithsonian Institution, professor of biology at Texas A&M-Commerce and the University of Mississippi. He was the 51st president of the American Ornithologists’ Union and president of the Waterbird Society. He has served on many other professional and conservation boards including the American Bird Conservancy, Wetlands International, John Cabot University, Station Biologique de la Tour du Valat, and the Everglades Foundation. The University of Miami has established the Chair of Waterbird Biology and Conservation in his name. More background can be found at www.JamesAKushlan.com.
Kirsten Hines is a Florida-based author, wildlife photographer, and conservationist with a master’s degree in biology and background as an environmental educator. Her writing and photography have appeared in numerous publications including seven of her own books, such as Attracting Birds to South Florida Gardens, Wild Florida: An Animal Odyssey, and a soon to come Helm Wildlife Guide to the Birds of Florida. Kirsten aims to inspire conservation action through her story-telling, wildlife-oriented presentations, guiding and workshops, and through not-for-profit work such as being a Conservation Associate at the Institute for Regional Conservation, co-founding Phoebes Birding to connect women through nature, and serving on such boards as Tropical Audubon Society and Audubon Florida, where she is Conservation Chair. More about Kirsten and her work can be found at www.KirstenHines.com.
Recovering Caribbean Nature is a monumental “how to” restore the Caribbean native flora. Decades of research, island reconnaissance, and visits to gardens, nurseries and still intact and pristine habitats, provide the authors with unique insights into a growing imperative to restore the region’s native flora. As a conservation practioner working for BirdLife International, it’s given me a refreshing perspective on the Caribbean natural history. I even think it is the foundation for a much-needed Caribbean-wide rewilding movement – one garden at a time.
– Ian J Davidson, Director-Americas, BirdLife International
I learned from and enjoyed reading this book, Recovering Caribbean Nature. Its review of the environmental history of the Caribbean and its role in current nature conservation provide valuable examples that can be useful for both a community member and university classes. Recovering Caribbean Nature rightly emphasizes the roles played by gardens in conserving Caribbean birds, as we have discovered in the National Botanic Garden of Cuba. The authors provide accounts of plants suggested for nature recovery and describe the birds and other animals that might use them, information that will now be available to many people in the Caribbean. The book provides both practical advice and reflections on nature restoration that can guide conservation action throughout the Caribbean. Books like this may help the islands of the West Indies to be more resilient and beautiful and at the same time become a better place in the world!
–Lourdes Mugica Valdés PhD, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de la Habana
