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Peter John Mills

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Conservation Conundrum

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 12-31-23

There are a few facts that are incorrect about South Africa. For example, the private ownership of “game” dates back to the early 1970s and culminated in legislation that intrenched this view in 1991/2. This was before Mandela had any influence over legislation. The conundrum, however, is that much of the contents current conservation practices like the landscape approach (an old idea in relative terms), reintroduction and invasion biology already incorporate aspects of rewilding. In South Africa much land under game ranch management cannot be considered in terms conservation success which has more of an ancillary outcome. We (in SA) would consider the changing of land to a more natural state as rewilding, which is what was implied in the book anyway, sometimes! However, the rewilding as proposed by Soule’ requires the repopulating that simulate Pleistocene conditions which is impractical and a waste of money. The Dutch example in the text is a case in point. It is a novel island experiment that cannot function in isolation as a functional ecosystem. Rewilding cannot be considered a new way of looking at conservation but a concept that is additional to the toolbox. The book also does not address how financially sustainable rewilding areas will be. In Africa people want to develop and so if they are in a rewilded landscape how are they going to make a living on it?

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Disturbing

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-01-23

Too much management time is spent on mega fauna and we forget about the little things in nature. The book makes an important point, although not directly, that conservation practice must take place across the whole landscape. I enjoyed the read.

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Repetitive

Overall
2 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 02-19-23

I would have preferred to hear about poundage’s and arrow weights, B-heads, etc for the specific hunts. Meat processing and food is part of hunting, that would have made the book more interesting as well. One can only read about so many turkey and deer hunts before getting bored.

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What about biodiversity.

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 01-09-23

In spite of the critics, Lomborg continues with his anti-alarm approach. I find this appealing although I think it is a case of two extreme approaches with solutions somewhere in the middle. However, with growth and posterity that is promoted here I wonder how this is possible without loosing much of our biodiversity.

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Irony of war

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5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 01-02-23

Enjoyed the book. The irony in that area bombing won the war over the ideology of precision bombing. Never looked at it like this before.

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An interesting account of history

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 12-30-22

I enjoy all Jared Diamond books and this one was no exception. I do wish people, especially leaders would read more books like this. I think South Africa fails in all 12 elements mentioned in this book.

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Superlative

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 12-17-22

I found Atlas Shrugged too long but it’s description of a decaying society so relevant to the world today. The author is brilliant and I now understand why she is not popular amongst socialist thinkers. I see, in this story, a modern South Africa falling apart at the hands of the same kind of lunacy as that is described in this story.

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