From famed zoologist Anthony Sinclair, an account of his decades-long quest to understand one of Earth's most spectacular ecosystems
With its rich biodiversity, astounding wildlife, and breathtaking animal migrations, Serengeti is like no other ecosystem on the planet. A Place like No Other is Anthony Sinclair's firsthand account of how he and other scientists discovered the biological principles that regulate life in Serengeti and how they rule all of the natural world.
When Sinclair first began studying this spectacular ecosystem in 1965, a host of questions confronted him. What environmental features make its annual migration possible? What determines the size of animal populations and the stunning diversity of species? What factors enable Serengeti to endure over time? In the five decades that followed, Sinclair and others sought answers. What they learned is that seven principles of regulation govern all natural processes in the Serengeti ecosystem. Sinclair shows how these principles can help us to understand and overcome the challenges facing Serengeti today, and how they can be used to repair damaged habitats throughout the world.
Blending vivid storytelling with invaluable scientific insights from Sinclair's pioneering fieldwork in Africa, A Place like No Other reveals how Serengeti holds timely lessons for the restoration and conservation of our vital ecosystems.
"With its biodiversity, astounding megafauna, and great animal migrations, the Serengeti is like no other ecosystem in Africa or indeed the world. It is also one of the most well studied places and perhaps no scientist has contributed more to our understanding of the Serengeti than Tony Sinclair, who has been researching this region since 1965. In this book, Sinclair recounts his quest to understand how the Serengeti works and what this unique place can tell us about how other ecosystems work and how they might even be repaired"--
"A keystone ecosystem provides lessons in how we can save the world from ourselves."
