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Nature on the Edge: Lessons for the Biosphere from the California Coast


My new book from Oregon State University Press will be out in September 2024!

Cover with photo of western cliffs of Tomales Point, Point Reyes National Seashore 

(photo by the author)
Cover with photo of western cliffs of Tomales Point, Point Reyes National Seashore (photo by the author)

You can pre-order online at Oregon State University’s website:
Nature on the Edge: Lessons for the Biosphere from the California Coast

I hope you enjoy and learn from Nature on the Edge! 

  • Please share this announcement with your friends, colleagues, and students; your favorite local bookstore(s) and book club; and your local library.  
  • Please consider announcing the book or reviewing it in the newsletter of an environmental organization, your local newspaper, or an appropriate magazine or academic journal. 

I am planning a number of in-person events (readings, talks, and book signings) to introduce the book in the San Francisco Bay and Santa Barbara areas beginning in mid-September.

Stay tuned for a schedule of such events!    

Description from the OSU Press catalogue: 

In Nature on the Edge, ecologist Bruce Byers offers readers new perspectives on two iconic California coastal regions, San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate and the Santa Barbara Channel Islands. While many people—in California and elsewhere—are familiar with these two areas, they may not know that they are part of a network of international biosphere reserves organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Nature on the Edge traces the history of nature conservation in these places and introduces the committed individuals who led those efforts and model effective action. 

In compelling dispatches from the edge of the continent, Byers explores topics ranging from butterflies to scrub jays, from salmon to whales. He describes the natural history, ecology, and evolution of key species and ecosystems in scientifically sound but accessible language, and notes that despite all we know, fascinating ecological mysteries still abound. Byers also surveys ecocentric philosophies and worldviews rooted in these places and argues for their importance in developing a more harmonious and sustainable relationship between humans and our home planet. 

UNESCO biosphere reserves are laboratories for understanding how humans affect ecosystems and models for how we can heal the human-nature relationship. While the biosphere concept and network has existed for fifty years now, it is still not well-known by the general public. Today, the US has twenty-eight biosphere reserves. By focusing on two beloved sites in California, Byers draws attention to the important work being done in these reserves around the world, with the goal of inspiring readers to reflection, action, and hope in the face of climate change, biodiversity loss, and other environmental challenges. 

About the author

Bruce A. Byers is an ecologist, writer, and consultant with more than forty years of professional experience in more than forty countries. His work aims to inform and inspire a more ecologically sustainable, equitable, and resilient relationship between humans and the planet. He has worked in thirty-five biosphere reserves in seventeen countries. 

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This book is a sequel to The View from Cascade Head: Lessons for the Biosphere from the Oregon Coast, which was published in 2020. The new book draws lessons from California’s two international biosphere reserves, Golden Gate and Channel Islands. It has been a few years in the making, and you may remember some stories posted here during earlier phases of my research and writing:  

The sixteen essays in the new book explore a range of subjects, from ecology and evolution to history, anthropology, and philosophy. Indigenous and non-Western ecological worldviews are given special attention. Extensive endnotes and a comprehensive index help interested readers follow up on topics of special interest to them.  

Table of Contents

Robin Chandler, a San Francisco Bay area artist, created an imaginative frontispiece illustration for the book. 

Frontispiece illustration (left page) with Mount Tamalpais and California condor by Robin L. Chandler
Frontispiece illustration (left page) with Mount Tamalpais and California condor by Robin L. Chandler

Nora Sherwood developed simple maps of the two biosphere regions that show key places discussed in the essays.

Map of Golden Gate Biosphere Region by Nora Sherwood
Map of Golden Gate Biosphere Region by Nora Sherwood



About Bruce Byers

Bruce Byers Bruce Byers is an ecologist, writer, and international ecological consultant. His creative nonfiction writing tells stories of science and conservation from around the world. As an independent consultant, he assists government agencies, NGOs, and the private sector in the United States and worldwide with strategies for conserving biodiversity and improving the human-nature relationship.

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