Demons in Eden

Kudzu overtaking shrubs

Demons in Eden: The Paradox of Plant Diversity is the title of a book authored by Jonathan Silvertown. (Its publisher is The University of Chicago Press.) It includes a description of Darwinian evolutionary botany (in the first chapter); botanical phylogeny (in the second); invasive plants in Florida (in the eighth); and green biotechnology (in the ninth). Allusion to the Garden of Eden occurs frequently in the book.

The final chapter, entitled “The End of Eden?”, describes (p. 145) lessons learned from experiences of the Guanacaste Conservation Area. Silvertown thus attempts to develop general principles for conserving botanic diversity. Firstly, “find sustainable uses for natural or restored habitats that will give local people an economic incentive to protect biodiversity.” Secondly, invasive plants “can and must be removed.” Thirdly, “what humans have damaged, nature can heal, given help and time.”

Reviews

• David Hooper (December 2006). "Demons in Eden: The Paradox of Plant Diversity". Quarterly Review of Biology 81 (4): 401–402. doi:10.1086/511570. 
• Sara Alexander (November 3, 2006). "A field trip through diversity". Science 314 (5800): 763. doi:10.1126/science.1133761. 
• Peter D. Moore (November 3, 2006). "Demons in Eden: The Paradox of Plant Diversity". Nature 438 (7064): 27. doi:10.1038/438027b. 

External links

• Demons in Eden website
• An excerpt from the book