The state of the world can be measured by the state of the wild. The Wildlife Conservation Society takes on that challenge by publishing their annual State of the Wild series with Island Press. The 2008-09 volume is fresh off the presses. This edition considers the integration of wildlife health, ecosystem health, human health, and the health of domestic animals, a "One World-One Health" approach to disease and conservation. The focus is complemented with essays clustered into sections that address other key issues: conservation of species, conservation of wild places, and the art and practice of conservation.
The 2008-09 edition includes chapters by conservation and literary luminaries and die-hards such as David Quammen, William Karesh, and Mike Fay. And it also includes chapters from folks like me: I wrote on the history of Rewilding Islands.
I was impressed by the 2007 edition, and I expect 2008-09 will be just as grand.
