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by Payson D. Sheets, Hardcover, August 1994
Our Price: 45.00
Final report on the most important project with a regional scope ever to be undertaken in Costa Rica. Especially helpful in light of the recent seismic and volcanic activity in the Arenal area.
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by Zaidett Barrientos,
Paperback, 240 pages, 2nd edition, November 1, 1997
Our Price: $33.33
This delightful and beautifully illustrated book by two Costa Rican biologists is designed to enhance the experiences of ecotourists and the effectiveness of ecotourism guides. To serve local as well as foreign ecotourists and guides, the book is printed in both Spanish and English.
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by John Vandermeer,
Paperback, 200 pages, June 1995
Our Price: $16.95
This intelligent book looks at the causes of Deforestation in Tropical America, namely food production and land use issues. The book is excellent in its readability, depth, and human approach to what too many scientists try to explain as a purely biological problem.
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by Philip J. Devries,
Paperback, 368 pages, Vol II, March 17, 1997
List Price: $37.50
Volume II of biologist Philip J. DeVries's study of the butterflies of Costa Rica and their natural history provides the first detailed treatment of over 250 species of Costa Rican butterflies in the family Riodinidae. This work is a sequel to Volume I which focused on butterflies of the Papilionidae, Pieridae, and Nymphalidae groups. color plates; 80 halftones; 13 line illus. 3 maps and 13 tables.
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by Daniel H. Janzen,
Paperback, November 1983
Our Price: 39.00
A synthesis of existing knowledge about the flora and fauna of Costa Rica. The major portion of the book consists of detailed accounts of agricultural species, vegetation, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, birds, and insects.
"This is an extraordinary, virtually unique work. . . . The tremendous amount of original, previously unpublished, firsthand information is remarkable." --Peter H. Raven, Director, Missouri Botanical Garden
"An essential resource for anyone interested in tropical biology. . . . It can be used both as an encyclopedia--a source of facts on specific organisms--and as a source of ideas and generalizations about tropical ecology." --Alan P. Smith, Ecology
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by John Terborgh,
Paperback, February 1992
Our Price: $23.06 List Price $32.95 You Save $9.89 (30%)
A colorfully illustrated Scientific American Library book for the general reader. This documents the effusive number of plant and animal species in the tropical rainforest, and explores the interwoven evolutionary processes behind the diversity. It is not an in-depth academic text, but rather, an easy to read introduction to tropical ecology and biodiversity.
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by Erich Hoyt,
Paperback, 320 pages Reprint edition, March 1997
Our Price: $10.40 List Price $13.00 You Save: $2.60 (20%)
Ant's-eye-view stories of scouts, workers, queens, and warriors alternate with an account of an expedition by renowned field biologists Edward O. Wilson and William L. Brown, Jr., in a nature reserve in Costa Rica. Includes a chronology of ants and humans in evolutionary and recent times, a glossary, a guide to Latin and common names, and a list of societies for the conservation and study of insects, plus b&w illustrations.
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by Carrol L. Henderson, Steve Adams (Illustrator), Alexander F. Skutch,
Paperback, 345 pages, April 2002
Our Price: $27.97 List Price $39.95 You Save: $11.98 (30%)
This field guide presents nearly three hundred species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies, moths, and other invertebrates. Carrol Henderson, an experienced wildlife biologist, traveler, and tour leader in Costa Rica, has chosen the species that ecotourists are most likely to see, along with a selection of rarer, sought-after animals. He gives a general introduction to each group of animals, followed by individual species accounts that highlight identification features and interesting ecological adaptations for survival. His stunning close-up photographs and distribution maps complete each entry. Includes trip preparation guides, and lots of useful resources.
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by William Allen,
Hardcover, 336 pages February 2001
Our Price: $24.50 List Price $35.00 You Save: $10.50 (30%)
This inspiring book demonstrates what is possible when personal resolve and belief in the value of a project is held strongly enough to ward off all adversity. A story of the struggle to reforest the Guanacaste conservation area, which proved more difficult politically and commercially than it was biologicially. This excellent collection of anecdotes portrays the struggle and the resulting triumphs for conservation. It is a must-read for anyone with interest in ecology from the socio-political aspects and ramifications of that change.
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by Sterling Evans, Paperback, 320 pages 1 Ed edition, April 1999
Our Price: $12.61 List Price $18.02 You Save: $5.41 (30%)
With over 25 percent of its land set aside in national parks and other protected areas, Costa Rica is renowned worldwide as "the green republic." In this very readable history of conservation in Costa Rica, Sterling Evans explores the establishment of the country's national park system as a response to the rapid destruction of its tropical ecosystems due to the expansion of export-related agriculture. Drawing on interviews with key players in the conservation movement, as well as archival research, Evans traces the emergence of a conservation ethic among Costa Ricans and the tangible forms it has taken. In Part I, he describes the development of the national park system and "the grand contradiction" that conservation occurred simultaneously with massive deforestation in unprotected areas. In Part II, he examines other aspects of Costa Rica's conservation experience, including the important roles played by environmental education and nongovernmental organizations, campesino and indigenous movements, ecotourism, and the work of the National Biodiversity Institute.
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by John Marañon, Hardcover, 320 pages, Oct 2001
Our Price: $24.95
The Gringo's Hawk is a thoroughly enjoyable must-read by Jon Marañon. Marañon made the tropical paradise of Costa Rica his home some 30 years ago and documented the immense change he witnessed in the ensuing years in a charming erstwhile enlightening manner. He describes the socio-cultural and ecological conditions of a remote part of Costa Rica as he found them, and the changes and growing pains he suffered and shared with the local community during his years there.
Through his memoirs we share Marañon's joy, anger, and frustration in his dealings with inept beauracracies and cultural roadblocks. At times one is drawn into his dejection, his pain and sorrow; at other times we are taken by his joy and satisfaction. We feel his love and fascination for the rainforest, the flora and fauna, and the planet. The book is full of interesting cultural and ecological observations, yet is never pedantic.
As we follow the author while he eeks out an existence in the rainforest, we learn about a life without luxuries such as power and transportation. We witness the personal transformations he underwent from idealist, to realist, and ultimately to environmental activist and philanthropist.
The lessons learned in the Gringo's Hawk make it a must-read for anyone interested in the recent natural history and changing sociology of Costa Rica. From his unique perspective, Marañon has successfully documented the challenges, on personal, ecological and cultural levels, faced by Costa Rica and its citizens during its emergence as a modern, globalized nation.
Jon Marañón offers a gripping first person account of nature and persons in conflict and the difficulties of meshing human existence into the once pristine rain forests of Costa Rica. The Gringo’s Hawk promotes reader awareness of the natural environment, wildlife, ecosystems, and socio-culture of this remote area. Ecology and spirituality are intertwined as he describes his journey in a mix of naturalist and lyrical prose that, along with humor and introspection, mark the style of The Gringo’s Hawk.
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by Michael D. Coe, Paperback, 256 pages, 6th edition, February 1999
Our Price: $13.26 List Price: $18.95 You Save: $5.69 (30%)
A clear and intelligent description of the development and organization of Maya civilization. Many beautiful photos and excellent diagrams. Now being used as a college textbook, though not its original intention. Highly recommended.
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by John Kricher,
Paperback, 504 pages, 2nd Rev edition, August 16, 1999
Our Price: $17.59
A second revised edition of John Kricher's well-received 1989 text, A Neotropical Companion distills whole libraries of information on the Americas' tropics. Kricher explores the workings of a rainforest with admirable clarity, discussing matters such as regeneration pathways and ecological succession. He also takes a sidelong glance at current issues in evolutionary theory, using his deep knowledge of the tropics to add to the literature on speciation and various hypotheses surrounding it. Ethnobotanists in particular will want to have a look at Kricher's catalog of tropical medicinal plants, in which lie the promise of cures and reliefs for a host of modern illnesses.
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by Louise H. Emmons,
Paperback, 392 pages, 2nd edition, August 1997
Our Price: 26.00
A guide to the diverse fauna of Central and South American rainforests. Provides basic information for all genera of mammals found in the rainforest and its rivers, including the often neglected bats and small nocturnal rodents. Some 200 species and 90 genera are covered in individual accounts. Color plates illustrate 219 species. Line drawings illustrate 65 species and point out features (such as bats' noses) used to differentiate similar species.
Also see the Videos & CD's Section for the companion CD Sounds of Neotropical Rainforest Mammals: An Audio Field Guide .
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by Adrian Forsyth, Kenneth Miyata, Sarah Landry (Illustrator), Ken Miyata,
Paperback, Reprint edition, January 1987
Our Price: 11.20, List Price $14.00, You Save $2.80 (20%)
This is a delightful and very readable overview of the ecology and biodiversity of Central and South American rainforests. It is quite enjoyable, and written in language suitable for anyone with an interest in tropical ecology. But those trained in biology and tropical ecology will also find it a pleasant read. It is great preparatory reading for anyone travelling to tropical areas, as it provides clues as to what to look for in the tropical environment. It explains the intricacies of how species interact with each other and their environment, in a way that makes the book difficult to put down. Tropical Nature will make any trip to the tropics more enjoyable and educational.
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by William A. Haber, Erick Bello, Willow Zuchowski, Paperback, 208 pages 2nd edition, April 7, 2000
Our Price: $14.95
An Introduction to Cloud Forest Trees is a field guide for anyone from amateur tree watcher to serious nature student who wants to identify cloud forest trees and learn about their ecology, pollination, distribution, natural history, and local uses. It is one of the few guides for Central American trees and the only one covering the Monteverde cloud forest. It presents detailed information, descriptions, and illustrations for 88 common or conspicuous species, and also includes introductory chapters that describe the geography, climate, and vegetation of the Monteverde region. Helpful one-page accounts describing the most important tree families are distributed throughout the guide.
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