Book review of the latest work by Megan McCubbin
An Atlas of Endangered Species, written by zoologist, wildlife presenter and photographer, Megan McCubbin, takes a look at some of the species which are under threat of extinction and why. Through Megan’s presenting and judging of the Travel Photographer of the Year awards, I already have an insight into how knowledgeable she is about the world around us, so I was curious to see how this translated into the written word.
In this book, Megan has selected 20 species to discuss in the context of how threatened each is on today’s rapidly changing planet, and more importantly why they are threatened – their fight for survival. She’s chosen 11 from the Norther Hemisphere and eight from the Southern Hemisphere, plus one curve ball. The latter will become obvious later.
As you open the book to look at the table of contents it, at first, reads like a rather random list put together by a confused, or at best disordered mind! After the introduction, chapter one is Orangutans. That’s fair enough. A beautiful species which is hard not to love and definitely threatened. Chapter two is Glow-Worms. Errr (scratches head!).
OK, OK, let’s stick with it. There must be a rationale here. Chapter three – Southern Resident Orca; chapter four – Asian Elephant; chapter five – Sunflower Sea Star. As so on through a list of seemingly unconnected and unordered species. Well reading the index obviously isn’t going to give clarity so let’s dive into the book and discover where Megan is taking us.
Which species are in the book and why?
The introduction establishes both her extensive knowledge and her personal perspective on all things natural world. It would be easy to be gloomy talking about species which, in the not too distant future, may no longer be on this earth. But her connections and positivity shine through, balancing stark reality with the positive efforts of people to make a difference, to find a way to address or mitigate the seemingly inevitable.
As someone who is reasonably well informed on the state of the planet, I found this book really enlightening as Megan guides us through the twists and turns of both sides of every argument and the planet’s current situation. For someone so obviously and fervently interested and active in preventing the extinction of species, the dialogue which she has with the reader is surprising eloquent and balanced rather than clouded by passion. Based on her knowledge and discussion points, throughout the book I felt able and enabled to make up my own mind, and always in an informed way.
As each chapter examines another threatened species, as varied as the Lady’s Slipper Orchid, the Northern White Rhino, the Freshwater Pearl Mussel, the Northern Royal Albatross, the Hammerhead Shark and the Black and White Ruffed Lemur, the Megan lays our a series of eloquently framed and balanced arguments. At no time did I feel belittled, ignorant or preached to. Her arguments are cogent and she doesn’t steer away from hard facts and controversy. The language is strong enough to make you listen, think and decide for yourself, reasoned and clear.
The Atlas of Endangered Species features drawings rather than photographs and has some initially surprising inclusions until to read about why
Let’s take one species as a case study and examine Megan’s arguments. The Exquisite Spike-Thumb Frog is representative of a groups of species which have been around for about 350 million years; amphibians. Descended from dinosaurs they have survived through ice-ages and previous mass extinction events, but now face the Earth’s sixth one which may be their biggest challenge yet.
The author points towards the obvious factors which are leading to the rapid decline in amphibian populations worldwide; changing climate, destruction of habitat and invasive species. But she also presents a more comprehensive overview with a key factor being the spread of a highly-infectious, waterborne, skin-eating fungus which has been spread worldwide by us treating this creatures as commodities rather than an important part of the ecosystem, through the trade in frogs and other amphibians. It is in-depth analysis like this which make the book so fascinating and stretches the reader’s mind and perspective.
The common factor
With 19 species and their place in extinction queue, we get to the curve ball. As you may have guessed, it’s us. Humans. With it the elephant in the room has to be addressed now and that is climate change; the way we are screwing up Planet Earth, not to put too fine a point on it. In the book, the author sets the path’s to extinction for each of the chosen species. Against this background of historical cycles of extinction the human factor makes shocking reading.
Chapters on 20 species at risk. What’s the connection?
Fossil fuels are an obvious candidate for blame but this too simplistic. Their use is symptomatic of human greed and the capitalism, which both have driven. Add in agriculture, which has reduced but woodland, forest and jungle habitats, plus drained peat moorlands and polluted our rivers with chemical run off, and the picture starts to build. Combining CO2 and methane emissions, with the diminution of the environments which sequester them and the vicious circle starts to emerge.
As Megan points out, humans are the biggest problem, but man can also be the solution… provided we act and act now. Not only can we be more conscious of our own impact, and people increasingly are, but we are the force to make our politicians sit, wake up and replace words with actions. These actions need to be on all levels. Earth needs a reset and fast.
We increasingly hear not just about climate change but about the rate of this change. Set in the context of this book, this rate becomes more comprehendible and with that much more real. Species have become extinct through the history of the planet, but at a rate which leaves room for natural evolution. The human factor is the acceleration of the rate of extinctions since the middle of the last century.
The bigger picture
The Lady’s Slipper Orchid is the only plant life in the selection of species but, even if this seems incongruous, it’s there will for reasons. It’s a good illustration of a less obvious way in which humans actions fuel the extinction of species. Orchids are prized by collectors and plant lovers but they are a more real and dangerous threat to plant species than global warming. There’s an active and often illegal market in rare plants, made easier by online sales. With the growth of sales through social media platforms, this market is shifting there so there’s a desperate need for these platforms to step up and not only block these sales but report them to the authorities which can and will take action.
A Atlas of Endangered Species is a really good and informative read. Most notably it presents the argument as to why the many species being lost to our planet matter. It’s comprehensive in its content but importantly it is accessible, almost inviting the reader to find out more without patronising their current lack of knowledge or holes in it.
If you’re interested in our planet, in nature or even in just one species, this is a must-read. Words like ‘climate-change’ and ‘extinction’ are thrown around in the news and online world with great regularity, but without any real analysis or depth to their use or backed by a coherent argument which joins the dots to make it all make sense and be relatable. This book give the reader these. I not only feel more informed as result of reading it, there’s also a sense of understanding the links between all the different factors which make up this complex and rapidly changing situation. What’s more, I feel inspired and motivated to up my own game and make my own personal difference… and it feels achievable not just too big or someone else’s problem.
This book is available in hard back through book retailers. It is also available as an audio book through outlets like Audible.
