Called by the Wild

the long version

"A pioneer in international conservation and wildlife ecology, Raymond Dasmann published his first book, the influential text Environmental Conservation, when the term "environment" was little known and "conservation" meant simply "keeping or storing" to most people. Called by the Wild is the delightful memoir of an unpretentious man who helped create and shape today's environmental movement. Encompassing his travels to ecological hotspots around the world and his development of concepts such as bioregionalism and ecotourism, Dasmann's autobiography is a gripping chronicle of an exceptional life and of international conservation action and intrigue.". "Dasmann takes us from his boyhood days in San Francisco in the early 1920s to his action-packed military service in Australia during World War II, where he met his future wife, Elizabeth. After returning to the United States, Dasmann received his doctorate as a conservation biologist when the field was just developing. Although he was never long without a teaching post, he often chose to leave the safety of academia to work around the world with conservation organizations, including the United Nations. His fieldwork in Africa, Sri Lanka, the Caribbean, California, and other areas is memorably related here." "This book is also an account of the way Dasmann's thinking developed around issues that are vitally important today. In engaging conversational language he shares his thoughts on issues he has grappled with throughout his life, such as population growth and the question of how sustainability can be measured, understood, and regained."--BOOK JACKET.