Botanic Gardens: Modern-Day Arks is written by Sara Oldfield and published in
2010 by The MIT Press. Hardcover; 240 pages. $29.95 (ABC members receive a 40% discount from this price). Botanic Gardens:
Modern-Day Arks takes a close and
beautifully illustrated look at what various botanic gardens around the world are
doing to address the increasing concern of plant endangerment and extinction. With descriptions and vibrant color
photographs of many at-risk plants and the botanical gardens trying to save
them, this book is an entertaining and valuable lesson on plant conservation. Botanic Gardens starts with a chapter on
the “plant extinction crisis,” and goes on to profile specific gardens, such as
the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, as well as gardens in places like Uganda and Istanbul. In the excerpted chapter on Chicago Botanic Garden author Sara Oldfield details the area's plant conservation concerns, in addition to informatively
discussing the garden, its conservation programs and case studies, and the
people at CBG who make it all possible. Highlighting the importance of plant
conservation’s ongoing work, Oldfield’s book ends with a chapter titled, “Planning
for the future.” An excerpt from Botanic Gardens: Modern-Day Arks, available here, features the
book’s title page, table of contents, a foreword by Beth Rothschild, and Chapter
8, a profile of the Chicago Botanic Garden.
©2011 The MIT Press. ABC members can purchase the book from The MIT Press at a 40% discount by visiting their website.
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