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Studying the environment to gain insight into organizational behavior can be a fascinating exercise, with advocates from Jane Jacobs to Margaret Wheatley among those who have helped us envision the inherent possibilities. What We Learned in the Rainforest takes a similar but uniquely focused approach, as Mitsubishi Electric CEO Tachi Kiuchi and environmental advocate Bill Shireman tie development and sustainment of the rainforest directly to progressive practices of businesses such as Hewlett-Packard, Coca-Cola, and Nike. Employing an interesting format--each section begins with the authors describing an ongoing parachute descent into the rainforest in order to illustrate a specific principle--Kiuchi and Shireman explain how concepts such as feedback, profit, design, and diversity aid both their natural laboratory and their corporate examples. In the "Succession" chapter, for instance, they relate a rainforest's "four phases of life" to the cycle of innovation, growth, improvement, and creative destruction that is experienced by successful businesses. With the goal of drawing on nature's wisdom rather than drawing down its physical resources, the book advances a vision of sustainability en route to profitability that is as provocative as it is potentially practical. --Howard Rothman ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Rainforest? These Guys Leave No Rainforest Behind!
Well, as soon as our species can survive on information rather than calories, this book MIGHT be of some use.

In the meantime, I find it a questionable, if not pathetic, apologia for megalomaniacal outfits like Coca Cola. Coke is a leader among the pack of those who apparently share a neverending pseudo-quest to combine illusory humanitarianism ("Coca-Cola does a great service because it encourages people to take in more and more liquids") with an unquenchable thirst for global market dominance ("until, eventually, the number one beverage on Earth will be soft-drinks-our soft drinks").

Can we contemplate the notion that 'unlimited growth' and 'sustainability' just might be mutually exclusive? Look up Ecological Economics, my friends. I beg you.

Waste Neither Money Nor Time...
This title of this book is an alluring theme but the book is, upon reading, virtually worthless. The analogy between a natural ecosystem and an economic system is clear enough and certainly not an earthshaking discovery - the rhythms, cycles, feedback mechanisms, etc., of any dynamic system are obvious similarities. But try to draw too much parallel between a natural system and a man-made system will inevitably lead to meaningless conclusions.

The author proposes a theory and then cites real-world examples that conform to that theory, sometimes rather forcibly. One example: In a section on information, the author said that the Indian auto industry was protected by high tariffs and that it led to its stagnation and decline. The author claimed that it was because the industry "failed to encourage the use of information." Anyone with the slightest knowledge of free market knows that lack of competition was the real cause. Does the rainforest add anything?

At another point, the author pondered on how the eye was (or was not) the result of evolution, and after postulating that incremental evolution was not possible for certain very complex biological structures (such as the eye), he cites the new notions of "intelligent design" and "downward causation". High sounding names, but how do they come about now?? Well, intelligent design must be because evolution is not...As to downward causation, it is, as illustrated by the rainforest, a series of adaptation. Wow, I thought that was evolution.

There was also a lengthy tirade denouncing the Wintel platform's dominance "threatening the infospace." This was taken right out of the annals of the cyberspace sour grapes.

Finally, although the author tries to appear apolitical and centrist, his liberal bias was all too clear - from his dismissive comments about Dick Cheney to his proposal of (government?) setting rules on how software must be created to be modular, with open interface, etc., etc. Whew!

This book was recommended by a number of big name business people, whose businesses got a fair bit of free PR from this book. My recommendation: waste neither money nor time on this book. Do enjoy the rainforest, but learn your business skills by studying the free market instead.

Great primer on sustainable business principles
Bill Shireman and Tachi Kiuchi's book is an accessible, well written treatise on the economic and social power of applying natural principles to business. Unlike other books on industrial ecology, which can be heady and boring, Shireman and Kiuchi have broken down the natural cycles of the Rainforest into easily understandable principles and then provide brief case studies illustrating the application of those principles in a business setting. The book is a great primer on corporate sustainability.

Great sustainability primer
Bill Shireman and Tachi Kiuchi's book is an accessible, well written treatise on the economic and social power of applying natural principles to business. Unlike other books on industrial ecology, which can be heady and boring, Shireman and Kiuchi have broken down the natural cycles of the Rainforest into easily understandable principles and then provide brief case studies illustrating the application of those principles in a business setting. The book is a great primer on corporate sustainability.

I learned a lot from the Rainforest
The parallels in the authors' experiences with contemporary business issues are very compelling. This book offers a fresh perspective on some difficult issues, and can give managers a new way to think about their company's relationship to our world. ... Read more

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Why don't we hear this information elsewhere?
I read this book over two years ago while exploring the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador as part of a college class. It was revealing and disturbing. I was left feeling overwhelmed by what humans have done and are doing to the rainforests of the world, for the sake of money and power. There is so much that could apparently be done, and yet it seems that world is spiraling downward towards an earth where there are few, if any, rainforests left. The fight against rainforest destruction appears unwinnable because the people fighting to prevent destruction tend to be money and power-less, while those who want to destruct are moving forward without any barriers to their work. Those who would wish to continue destroying rainforests need to remember that ultimately, they are fighing against their own existence. Yet this fact seems to slip by everyone because we have always figured that we have one more generation before WE feel the effects. When are we going to realize that those who are affected by destruction NOW are just as important as those of us who benefit financially from rainforest destruction without feeling its harmful effects?

It will certainly be interesting to see what happens in the next decades. ... Read more

Book Description

Explore the magic and mystery of the world's tropical rainforests in this fascinating volume that brings to life the plants, animals, and people that inhabit this fragile ecosystem. Focusing on the forests situated in the land area between the Tropics of Cancer and the Tropics of Capricorn, the Encyclopedia provides a rich and thorough presentation of the scientific, political, and economic significance of the region. An introductory essay vividly describes the world's tropical forests and sets the stage for understanding the mystery and complexity surrounding the rainforest. More than 50 percent of the world's known plants and animals live in the rainforests. Parts of the book offer interesting descriptions of forest wildlife including amphibians, birds, fish, insects, spiders, mammals, and reptiles and plants, especially flowering plants, ferns, and gymnosperms. ... Read more

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This is a detailed technical reference text on the ecology of tropical forest tree seedlings, especially concerning the exploitation of natural forests and production of tropical hardwood timber. It contains 13 original contributions by world-class experts presenting new data and research along with reviews and analyses on tropical forest tree seedling demography, morphology, and physiology, and on their responses to the availability of resources such as light, nutrients, and water. ... Read more

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breath-taking pictures, and amazing writings
A great book. A-z on the rainforest, animals, plants, tribes, distruction, and much more, ... Read more

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Rainforests of the World presents a rare and intimate view of the rainforests and its inhabitants--the plants, animals, and indigenous peoples that make their homes in the most beautiful and endangered places on earth.
Home to 50 percent of all living species in the world, the tropical rainforest is a precious resource found in only three areas of the world: Central and South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. World-renowned photographer Art Wolfe has captured the very essence of these precious places and the animals and plants that inhabit them. From breathtaking landscapes, to a minute poison dart frog hiding in a tropical flower, to portraits of the forests' indigenous peoples, to a jaguar contemplating its next move, the tremendous beauty and power of nature are magnificently showcased.
The strength of Wolfe's images lies not only in his true understanding and love for the natural world, but also in his artistic ability to capture his subject so intimately and emotionally on film. No one can photograph an animal in its true habitat as Art Wolfe can, and this time he's outdone himself. Each page is a testament to the resplendence, timelessness, and unfortunate fragility of the rainforest as it struggles to survive into the twenty-first century.
Divided into four sections--"Water," "Fire," "Earth," and "Air"--Rainforests of the World explores the different ecological workings of the rainforests. Sir Ghillean Prance, a highly acclaimed naturalist, writes compellingly of them--their biodiversity and biology and the need to place a spiritual value on caring for the natural world.
Rainforests of the World is a rare book--one in whichphotographs and text work together to evoke the very essence of a place as bountiful and precious as our rainforests. ... Read more

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Photographing Innovation Art
Photographing Innovation Art is considered one the wonderful natural world books. In this book, Art Wolf mirrors the virgin reforents area in elegant manner. Art Wolf knows quite well when and where to boast these rare places, animals, and plants that live in. His representation style is unequal to any other works, particularly in clear views, which express the theme he wants to convey in detailed natural views. It looks like hand made artistic works. Art Wolf has high skills and capabilities in views production. His views are wonderful and have natural beauty, which makes you feel, taste, and sees natural elegance and expressive views as we have seen in his previous works. The text and photo are complementary to each other. Both seek to achieve one goal- to save the area from surrounding danger as depicted in Wolfs work. Generally it is a wonderful book indeed by art Wolf. It makes us astonished by its expressive and moving pictures. He allows us see the photos from any angles to get different impression. This book is recommended for those who love unique natural world and high standards photos

Beautiful Book and wonderful photography
A book that is spectacular to look through and educational in content. A Christmas gift that was truly special. ... Read more

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The Tongass National Forest, sprawling across seventeen million acres of the southeast Alaskan archipelago, is one of America's rarest national treasures. This rain forest--a type of ecological wonder seldom found far beyond the equator--is a land filled with a rich diversity of wildlife and vegetation.

Today, the Tongass is disappearing before our eyes as timber companies cut deeper and deeper into the wilderness. Environmentalists are fighting to block further clear-cutting, which is laying waste to the magnificent stands of virgin timber.

One of America's finest landscape photographers, Robert Glenn Ketchum, has recorded here the beauty of a wilderness that is fragile despite its majesty. He presents the area's enduring wonders as well as the blighted terrain of the leveled forest.

The authors--Robert Glenn and Carey D. Ketchum--recount in detail the shortsighted policies that industry and the federal government are implementing in southeast Alaska. In candid conversations, the residents of small towns who fish and live off the land tell the authors how their tranquil lives are being transformed.

The Tongass:Alaska's Vanishing Rain Forest is a classic work of environmental protest that reports on the profound political developments that have taken place in recent years and documents the continuing struggle to protect the Tongass.

Robert Glenn Ketchum's extraordinary photographs present the enduring natural wonders of the Tongass, as well as the damage inflicted by clear-cutting, while the text recounts the shortsighted policies implemented by industry and the federal government.

First published by Aperture in 1987, The Tongass played a vital role in Congress's passage of the Tongass Timber Reform Bill in 1990. This marked a turning point in the attempts to balance the management of this national forest--the largest in the United States. The Tongass is the rarest and most intact temperate old-growth rain forest in the world. Its preservation is crucial, as this important book reveals.
... Read more

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This book opens readers' eyes to the enormous resources of the Earth's rain forests and the potential impact of their destruction in terms of human health. ... Read more

Book Description

The value of the Amazon rainforest to human life has never been more deeply understood. Aside from their indispensable role in nourishing the earth's atmosphere, the rainforests may also hold the key to treating many of humanity's most resilient diseases. In Herbal Secrets of the Rainforests, author Leslie Taylor provides the latest information on natural treatments for more than 150 common conditions and symptoms using the healing powers of over 50 rainforest herbs. Readers will find safe and effective alternative treatments for such conditions as: colds and flu; headache; depression; cancer; arthritis; menopause; insomnia; wounds; burns; rashes; and much more. ... Read more

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The Amazon Herbalist Bible
This is the definitive book about common use of Amazonian herbs for healing.

The book describes appx. 50 easy-to-find-over-the-internet herbs that have long traditional histories of healing.

Each herb is described carefully and carries a chart showing what ailments it is used for in different cultures worldwide.

There are useful chapters of herbs to use by ailment, descriptions of the ailments, traditional herb MIXTURES for different common problems.

The research cited in the book is well documented and there is a nice amount of human interest background as well.

If you are curious or interested in the ancient wisdom of plant healing from the Amazon this is definitely a book to have. ... Read more

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Highly Recommended
Jungle Stories is a a book co-written by Sting and photographer JeanPierre Dutilleux about their visits to the Amazon rainforest, firstly in1987 (when he was accompanied by Trudie Styler), and later in 1989 (whentrying to get President Sarney to agree to the demarcation of the XinguNational Park). Dutilleux was responsible for introducing Sting to theproblems being faced by the Amazonian indians and for introducing him toChief Raoni. The book features many superb colour photographs of therainforest and the damage being done by logging and mining companies, butespecially of the mysterious and proud Indian tribes. Sting introduces usto several larger than life characters in his contributions. His writing isgood - written in short, snappy, journal fashion, serious without beingoverly so, and punctuated with flashes of humour. His admiration for theIndians shines through the book, and Dutilleux's excellent photographs -many of Sting - set this book off marvellously. Highly recommended. ... Read more

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Reviews (2)

Excellent book
Topical Forest Remnants edited by William F. Laurance and Richard O. Bierregaard Jr. discusses the importance of studying rainforest fragments. Each section of the book deals with a different component to this problem. This book is very interesting because it deals with an issue in tropical forests often overlooked by many. It is a series of different scientific studies that are accessible to the educated layperson. This book is a must for anyone interested in the tropical rainforests. Some knowledge of tropical rainforest ecology and destruction is helpful. The book presents general studies dealing with issues that are universal to tropical rainforests and highly specific studies dealing with a particular species in a particular region. Overall this book provides a great deal of information about tropical rainforest fragments. This book is not for someone looking for a little information about the subject. But, it is easy to choose what is of the most interest, because each chapter is a different study, they are independent of one another. There are some unanswered questions, especially concerning the current reserve progress. The book has many strong points with a few sections that may leave important concerns out. This book provides a comprehensive look into an area of tropical rainforest study often overlooked.

Interesting and often ignored topic
Tropical Forest Remnants edited by William F. Laurance and Richard O. Bierregaard Jr. discusses the importance of studying rainforest fragments. Each section of the book deals with a different component to this problem. This book is very interesting because it deals with an issue in tropical forests often overlooked by many. It is a series of different scientific studies that are accessible to the educated layperson. This book is a must for anyone interested in the tropical rainforests. Some knowledge of tropical rainforest ecology and destruction is helpful. The book presents general studies dealing with issues that are universal to tropical rainforests and highly specific studies dealing with a particular species in a particular region. The first section is an introduction, clarifying the importance of studying tropical rainforests and the importance of studying fragmentation of these areas. It discuss the micro and macro economic factors of fragmentation, which offers a range of impacts from the local level to the global level. One draw back of this section is that only the negatives of shifting cultivation are discussed. Though shifting cultivation causes fragmentation, it can be (and has been in the past) sustainable if done using the proper techniques. Edge effects are discusses in the second section of the book, which has two chapters that look at Australia and two chapters that look at Amazonia. Two chapters describe about microclimates of the regions (one about Australia and one about Amazonia). These were the most interesting chapters because they allow the reader to compare the regions. The reader is able to bring in prior knowledge of tropical forests and add it to the information form these two chapters to make an assessment. This section was interesting because edge effects both positive and negative are rarely discussed in other books about tropical rainforests. The third section of the book discusses tropical faunas. Indicator species such as centipedes, frogs, butterflies, and birds were used to analyze the edge effects of fragmentation. Small mammals and vertebrates were also used for studies. Birds were most often chosen for study in this section. For some studies highly specific birds were studied, showing the effects on specialized species. This gave an interesting contrast among the different bird species. The final chapter of this section discussed land bridge islands. This also dealt with a subject rarely thought about when talking about tropical rainforests. The fourth section addresses plants and plant-animal interactions. The first chapter in this section gives a model for extinction and discusses endemic species. The second and third chapters discuss the reliance of tropical plants on animals. The final chapter looks at a long-term forest fragment in Singapore. This section does not offer any information new information. The last chapter does have some interesting points. The example in Singapore may be able to provide a model for future rainforest fragments. It also discusses the resilience difference between plants and animals. This resilience is necessary for survival in the new ecosystem of a fragmented area. Future prospects for fragments can be drawn such as preservation and conservation. Restoration and management are discussed in section five. The first two discuss habitat restoration in Brazil, Queensland, and Puerto Rico. These chapters offer some strategies to help these fragmented areas, but fail to provide the reader with a holistic view. Only the rainforest fragment is discussed, but the cause of the fragmentation is not addressed. This reductionist approach will not solve the problem of fragmentation. The second two chapters describe the use of remote sensing and GIS to manage these fragments. They offer a way to measure the amount of fragmentation occurring in an area, but do not discuss shortfalls of these systems. The sixth section discusses the selection of reserves. Many factors are necessary to take into account to form reserves. Most of these chapters are assessments of the problem of insufficient data and the adequacy or inadequacy of reserves as they now exist. It offers little in the way of how to make better reserves in the future. These chapters should have provided more information on current working reserves. This would allow the reader to compare those reserves that are working with those that are not. In the final section looks into the future of fragments. The first chapter is an assessment of the progress made on this issue of fragmentation and whether further study is justified. In the last chapter of the book the editors list the priorities for further research. This allows the reader to see the path that this discipline will take. After reading the entire book and coming to this chapter the reader is able to critically analyze the justification of further research and what that research will entail. The editors properly prepare the reader through the choice and placement of the sections and the chapters to analyze the future of tropical rainforest fragmentation. Overall this book provides a great deal of information about tropical rainforest fragments. This book is not for someone looking for a little information about the subject. But, it is easy to choose what is of the most interest, because each chapter is a different study, they are independent of one another. There are some unanswered questions, especially concerning the current reserve progress. The book has many strong points with a few sections that may leave important concerns out. This book provides a comprehensive look into an area of tropical rainforest study often overlooked. ... Read more

Book Description

The contributors explore possible sustainable uses of the world's largest rainforest, the Amazon, which is now being destroyed on an unprecedented scale. ... Read more

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From the inner place
The best review of the aspects nd consequences of tropical deforestation! ... Read more

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solid science, unforgettable images
This is a great popular science book, written by an adventurer/explorer who also has a Harvard PhD in biology.He travels all over the world for National Geographic, taking nature photos as well as reporting on cutting-edge discoveries in the rainforests.As such, he succeeds at mixing art and science in this book, which is somewhat technical, but explained in clear language that laymen can understand.THis book changed the way Isaw rainforests:fully 9/10s of their biota are in the canopy, in the leaves high above, which you would never from the ground.And Moffet went up there with camera to photograph it with some of the world's best scientists.The result is masterful.

It is truly a pity that this book is out of print.I wrote a review of it for the Boston Globe when it came out and later met the author, Moffet.He was as interesting and colorful as the book, full of hilarious stories of his adventures. ... Read more