At the Museum 



American Museum S Natural History \]Q 



www.amnh.org 



Biodiversity Near and Far 



From Central Park to Southeast 

 Asia, the Museum's conservation 

 efforts are truly global in scope. 

 Consider Vietnam: A Natural History 

 (Yale University Press), the fruit of a 

 conservation biology research and train- 

 ing project begun by AMNH's Center 

 for Biodiversity and Conservation (CBC) 

 in Vietnam nearly a decade ago, and the 

 first comprehensive work on the coun- 

 try's extraordinary flora and fauna and 

 diverse natural areas. Scientists, arm- 

 chair naturalists, and travelers will find 

 this book an engaging guide to all that 

 Vietnam has to share about its past and 

 present beauty, history, and diversity — 

 biologically, geologically, and culturally. 



Coauthored by CBC Director Eleanor 

 J. Sterling and CBC Biodiversity Scien- 

 tists Martha M. Hurley and Le Due 

 Minh, the book is spectacularly illus- 

 trated with maps, photographs, and 

 35 original watercolors, and offers an 

 accessible yet scientifically rigorous 

 examination of Vietnam's plant and 

 animal life along with in-depth discus- 

 sion of the factors shaping their evolu- 

 tion, distribution, and conservation. 



In part because of Vietnam's com- 

 plex cultural and political history, 



VIETNAM 



A NATURAL 

 HISTORY 



we have only just begun to study 

 its great biological diversity, rich in 

 plants, animals, and natural habitats. 

 Vietnam: A Natural History reports on 

 rare and unique organisms — dozens 

 of newly described species of amphib- 

 ians, birds, and mammals — and 

 explores the long history of human 

 occupation in the country, including 

 the effects of the Vietnam-American 

 War on the region's fragile and widely 

 threatened biodiversity. 



The authors provide detailed descrip- 

 tions of key natural areas to visit, where 

 a traveler might explore limestone caves 

 or glimpse some of the country's 27 

 known monkeys and apes and more 

 than 850 bird species, many of which 

 can be found only in Vietnam or adja- 

 cent regions. 



A majority of the authors' royalties 

 earned from sales of this book will be 

 contributed to an educational fund sup- 

 porting Southeast Asians working in 

 biodiversity conservation. 



Closer to home, CBC Associate 

 Director Felicity Arengo and CBC 

 Metropolitan Biodiversity Program 

 Manager Liz Johnson were among 

 those representing the Museum at the 

 2006 Central Park BioBlitz, a 24-hour 

 event aimed at adding to species lists 

 of living things in this landmark New 

 York City park and at increasing pub- 

 lic awareness about biodiversity in an 

 urban environment. Among the finds 

 by Museum scientists: nearly 20 

 possible land and freshwater mollusk 

 species and 7 species of social wasps, 

 proving that even in this much-stud- 

 ied setting, there are still discoveries 

 to be made. 



LIZARDS & SNAKES: ALIVE! 



Through January 7, 2007 



More than 60 live animals shed light on the often-over- 

 looked world of lizards and snakes in the AMNH's latest 

 captivating exhibition, Lizards o^Snakes: Alive'. Camouflaging 

 themselves in their re-created habitats; scurrying, slithering, 

 or shimmying; eating daintily or ravenously, these creatures 

 are endlessly fascinating. Plus, interactive exhibits, puzzles, 

 touchable models, and more show visitors the similarities 

 and differences among this amazing assortment. 



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