The Accidental Ecosystem

"The Accidental Ecosystem is a crystalline gem of a book with an original, engaging, and timely narrative that sparkles with wit and wisdom. This is environmental writing at its best."--Mark V. Barrow, Jr., author of Nature's Ghosts: Confronting Extinction from the Age of Jefferson to the Age of Ecology "This book reveals the wildlife all around us in towns and cities. It explains why that wildlife is there (or never left), explores some of the pleasures and perils of living so close to other species, and helps us better the human relationship to ecology."--Eric W. Sanderson, author of Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York City "Strange as it may seem, cities rank among the fastest growing ecosystems on Earth. Even stranger, they've recently become home to an amazing array of wildlife: herds of sea lions; colonies of bats; packs of coyotes; and flocks of parrots, among others. The sudden arrival of such charismatic creatures has happened without much fanfare--until now. With The Accidental Ecosystem, Peter S. Alagona offers a marvelous, entertaining account of this great migration. He also delves into our tumultuous relationship with the more-than-human world, and explores pathways toward a future of coexistence and mutual thriving."--Scott D. Sampson, Executive Director of the California Academy of Sciences and author of How to Raise a Wild Child