Rescuing Biodiversity

Restoration ecology is a vital tool to mitigate the crisis caused by the global destruction of biodiversity, one of the most powerful existential threats to future generations. Johnny Armstrong’s Rescuing Biodiversity tells the story of one man’s attempts to preserve a vanishing Louisiana ecosystem and restore the animal and plant species that once lived there.

As a grandfather and perpetual student, Armstrong witnessed the speed at which the timber industry pillaged local landscapes, and he resolved to protect and revitalize the old-growth forest of Wafer Creek Ranch in north central Louisiana. This fascinating tale recounts his efforts to reclaim the shortleaf pine-oak-hickory woodland ecosystem, once dominant across a wide stretch of land spanning at least four southern states but now virtually extinct. Accessibly written, Rescuing Biodiversity acts as a field guide to the historic upland ecology of the region, with descriptions and photographs of its overstory, salient upland grasses, and brilliant wildflowers. Armstrong takes the reader on a journey through this fragile environment and demonstrates what science-based restoration looks like on what is now recognized as perhaps the best example of this native plant community type in Louisiana.