On the Backs of Tortoises: Darwin, the Galapagos, and the Fate of an Evolutionary Eden

Elizabeth Hennessy

Published by Yale University Press 2019

On the Backs of Tortoises

Darwin, the Galapagos, and the Fate of an Evolutionary Eden

Elizabeth Hennessy

https://doi.org/10.12987/9780300249156

Overview
Contents

About this book

An insightful exploration of the iconic Galápagos tortoises, and how their fate is inextricably linked to our own in a rapidly changing world

The Galápagos archipelago is often viewed as a last foothold of pristine nature. For sixty years, conservationists have worked to restore this evolutionary Eden after centuries of exploitation at the hands of pirates, whalers, and island settlers. This book tells the story of the islands’ namesakes—the giant tortoises—as coveted food sources, objects of natural history, and famous icons of conservation and tourism. By doing so, it brings into stark relief the paradoxical, and impossible, goal of conserving species by trying to restore a past state of prehistoric evolution. The tortoises, Elizabeth Hennessy demonstrates, are not prehistoric, but rather microcosms whose stories show how deeply human and nonhuman life are entangled. In a world where evolution is thoroughly shaped by global history, Hennessy puts forward a vision for conservation based on reckoning with the past, rather than trying to erase it.

Author / Editor information

Hennessy Elizabeth :

Elizabeth Hennessy is a geographer and assistant professor of history and environmental studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she is on the steering committee of the Center for Culture, History, and Environment.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Preface and Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
Maps Publicly Available Download PDF	xvi
1. What We Stand On Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
2. In Darwin’s Footsteps Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	17
3. What’s in a Name? Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	43
4. The Many Worlds at World’s End Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	77
5. Making a Natural Laboratory Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	116
6. Restoring Evolution Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	147
7. Laboratory Life Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	180
8. All the Way Down Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	214
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	223
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	267
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	299

Language: English
Publisher: Yale University Press
Pages
- Main content: 320
Illustrations
- Other: 20 b-w illus.

eBook

Published: October 29, 2019
ISBN: 9780300249156