Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
far-fl ung tales is how much we can enrich our experiences by bringing an
evolutionary perspective to our travels.
This topic's publication coincides with the International Year for Biodi-
versity, a multifaceted program of research and education about the world's
ecosystems that is coordinated by the United Nations. It also coincides with
an unprecedented explosion of worldwide ecotourism. Never before have so
many people, including many of the readers of this topic, visited so many
distant and exotic destinations. I hope to share with you my own delight at
being a Darwinian tourist, and to encourage you to view your own travels
through a Darwinian perspective.
Many people contributed help, advice, and logistical support to this
book. I especially acknowledge my editor, Latha Menon, my indefatigable
travel agents Barbara Jenkins-Lee and Jenny Collister, and my many guides
around the world, especially Tugso Tugso in Mongolia, Roland Ranaivo-
Ratsitohaina in Madagascar, Dougie Wright in Botswana, John Wapimaro
in Tanzania, Lay Maung in Myanmar, Mike Kuiper and Diane Corbiere on
Yap, Sonia Goggel in the Solomon Islands, Kay Samsen in the far reaches of
the Andaman Sea, and Cedric Lesenechal beneath the waters of the Spice
Islands. I have relied on colleagues in many dif erent disciplines for help and
advice: Ofer Bar-Yosef, Liza Comita, Richard Condit, H. S. Dattaraja, Charles
Davis, Scott Edwards, Pascal Gagneux, Nimal and Savitri Gunatilleke, Pam
Hall, Kyle Harms, Hopi Hoekstra, Steve Hubbell, Robert John, Andy Knoll,
Abraham Korol, John Lawrence, Albert Lin, Suzanne Loo de Lao, Eliza-
beth Losos, Richard Meadow, James Moore, Mike Morwood, Piotr Nas-
recki, Cheryl Nath, Supardi Noor, Miguel Rivera, Oliver Ryder, I-Fang Sun,
Sylvester Tan, Jill Thompson, Matt Tocheri, Anne-Marie Wills, and David
Woodruf . Special thanks go to Mark Strickland, who helped me with many
aspects of underwater photography. And of course many thanks to my wife,
Liz, who has badgered me across six continents and around innumerable
islands, making sure that I don't leave things behind.
Despite all this help there are undoubtedly sins of both omission and
commission in this topic. The responsibility for all of them falls on my own
balding head.
