Revoyage of the Mayflower: Societal Values – Conservation’s Driving Force
Conservation of the world’s living resources is becoming more dire by the day and, regrettably, the conservation community overall is not up to the challenge, often relying on obsolete approaches and inappropriately trained personnel. Raffaele discusses the dilemma and offers a 9-point framework for getting things on track.
This includes a focus on societal values, new training strategies for future resource managers, and other dramatic changes in focus. Anyone who cares about the environment, from conservation professionals to citizens concerned about the living world around them, will find this book a must read.
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If we’re going to prevent further erosion of our natural systems and the extinctions of more wildlife, humanity will have to adopt a new way of thinking, even a new set of values not unlike a new religion.
So argues Herb Raffaele in this thought-provoking book. He is a former field biologist and former division chief at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with decades of experience in the conservation community. He presents his argument, which is based on ideas of Aldo Leopold and others, and explains that effective environmental conservation will require nine important framework elements. The question is whether the world is ready to listen to his advice — and act on it — before it’s too late.
Revoyage of the Mayflower is a unique primer on how to actually do conservation and do it with success, or at least some measure of success. Raffaele's holistic approach to achieving "buy-in" by stakeholders is essential in achieving lasting success and multiple examples make this point. The Mayflower idea of swapping Europeans for Hindus (thus comparing groups with different perceptions of environment and its resident organisms) was a stroke of genius. This book is the current best example I know of how to educate non-scientists about what conservation really is or should be and it will also enlighten professionals in the conservation community. It is ideal for teachers and should find its way into numerous courses and it deserves a wide readership.
John Kricher
Everyone who is seriously involved in wildlife management, every leader of major wildlife organizations, every significant bird-club officer, should consider reading this book. And those same people should probably read Raffaele’s Chapter 5 – “A More Effective Path Towards Achieving Conservation”- twice.
The Birding Community E-bulletin
Revoyage of the Mayflower…provides us a precise blueprint for a better tomorrow.
Kathleen Rogers, President, EARTHDAY.ORG
I read Herb Raffaele’s book with relish because it outlines true success stories on saving wildlife and offers a comprehensive step-by-step pathway to effective conservation, one that is essential and mostly ignored by many conservation organizations. These groups focus mainly on the organism itself, its biology and status, but they completely ignore the most important issue in conservation – the human factor. Drawing from years of work in international wildlife conservation, the author does not just spout platitudes, but offers real, doable, proven advice on making a difference and forging success in saving our precious wildlife and wild areas. He does this after examining what does not work, the reasons and social pressures, and highlights the values, beliefs and actions that correlate with a healthier relationship with the natural world. And, ultimately I believe the author’s methodology would work on improving the success of any organization’s efforts because it is based on sound psychological and sociological principles.
Mike Taylor, Amazon.com review