In Literature Appetizer, Ben gives you just a taste of a book. Not meant to replace the full meal, this is meant to whet your appetite. Bon appetit!
Charismatic Megafauna is a classification of animals that environmentalists and conservationists use to simplify a complex issue. There is a reason “save the polar bears” or “save the whales” are easier rallying cries for the public than “we need to limit CO2 emission by a certain percentage.” It is easier for the general public to see and understand a problem by describing how it impacts the large animals on our planet.
This is an odd classification because the only thing they have in common is “being big.” You wouldn’t say a lion is more closely related to an elephant than a housecat, but housecats are not in this category. What makes it odd is we classify all ‘charistmatic megaflora’ into one word: trees. If you are interested in a Map of Plants, this is a great video decribing how “Oak trees are more closely related to pumpkins than they are to pine trees.”
Cherry Tree in Lancaster, PA
For the past 80 days I have been taking a tour of our globe with Around the World in 80 Trees by Jonathan Drori. If you are to read this book, I highly recommend following my method. Each tree was one or two pages at most, and I read one tree a day. This way each tree stood out and got to be in the spotlight for a day. There really aren’t chapters, but there are sections based on continents.
What astounded me the most is how Drori showcased the relationship between the trees and the ecosystems they are in. He, like so many other environmentalists, argue that humans are a part of nature, not separate. While we have had drastic impacts on trees, they have also had drastic impacts on us. From small scale food sources to being the source of global fleets.
I cannot recommend this book enough and I hope it helps you start your journey on noticing the trees that make your region special.