From Library Journal

Gale Research has teamed with the IUCN-The World Conservation Union to produce this latest volume in the "Gale Environmental Library." It provides roughly 700 accounts, ranging in length from about a third of a page to two pages, of endangered animals and plants around the world. Following the common and scientific names that head up each unsigned entry is a box giving the higher classification, endangerment status, and range. This information is followed by paragraphs discussing the animal or plant's description and biology, its habitat and current distribution, and its history and the conservation measures meant to save it. Appendixes list recently extinct and critically endangered species as well as conservation organizations, and there are separate geographic and species indexes. Unfortunately, serious researchers will find this encyclopedia lacking. Only a small fraction of endangered species is covered, and criteria for inclusion are not well defined. The geographic index indicates a good geographic balance, which means that every state and country is equally slighted. The absence of references at the ends of the articles will be frustrating to all users. The bibliography is brief and general, and over half of the citations are to publications from the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources), which are unlikely to be found in most libraries. Academic libraries will probably prefer the Official World Wildlife Fund Guide to Endangered Species of North America (LJ 6/15/92) for its comprehensiveness (within North America) and the references with each article. Public and school libraries will prefer the 11-volume Endangered Wildlife of the World (LJ 5/1/93), which is written for a younger audience and does not cover plants but has better descriptions and discussions of the issues involved.