"Tenacious Beasts: Wildlife Recoveries That Change How We Think about Animals"

More than 900 animal species have been erased from our planet since the arrival of industrialization. It's still happening, of course, and the outlook is grim. But our guest on ST argues that there are also certain reasons to be hopeful. Christopher J. Preston is the author of "Tenacious Beasts," a book that recounts stories from all over the globe about animals that have defied pervasive trends toward extinction. Bears in Italy, bison in North America, whales in the Atlantic Ocean -- these populations are back from the brink, some of them in numbers that almost seem unthinkable. How did this happen? And what shifts in thinking did such consequential changes demand? Per a starred review in Library Journal: "Preston writes with the goal of highlighting promising partnerships, building on lessons learned from animals themselves, and questioning long-held beliefs about wildlife and conservation.... This makes for an excellent recommendation to readers searching for thoughtful but hopeful books on the future of nature."