Book review: In the Dust of Kilimanjaro by David Western

I recently completed an awesome book titled In the Dust of Kilimanjaro by David Western.

http://islandpress.org/ip/books/book/islandpress/I/bo3560121.html

"In the Dust of Kilimanjaro is the extraordinary story of one man's struggle to protect Kenya's wildlife. World-renowned conservationist David Western -- who grew up in Africa and whose life is intertwined with the lives of its animals and indigenous peoples -- presents a history of African wildlife conservation and an intimate glimpse into his life as a global spokesperson and one of Kenya's most prominent citizens.

Beginning with his childhood adventures hunting in rural Tanganyika (now Tanzania), Western describes how and why the African continent came to hold such power over him. In lyrical prose, he recounts the years of solitary fieldwork in and around Amboseli National Park that led to his gradual awakening to what was happening to the animals and people there. His immersion in the culture and ecology of the region made him realize that without an integrated approach to conservation, one that involved people as well as animals, Kenya's most magnificent creatures would be lost forever. His accounts of his friendships with the Maasai add a personal dimension to the book that gives the reader new appreciation for the centuries-old links between Africa's wildlife and people. Continued co-existence rather than segregation, he argues, offers the best hope for the world's wildlife. Western describes how his unique understanding of the potentially devastating problems in the region helped him pioneer a new approach to global wildlife conservation that balances the needs of people and wildlife without excluding one or the other."


The book was recommended by a friend of a friend, a Tanzanian working in wildlife conservation. Not only is David Western an excellent writer with a life story full of interesting anecdotes and insight, but his theories and approach towards conservation are relevant to conservation struggles worldwide. I obviously appreciated the setting of the book which provided an excellent historical lesson on conservation in East Africa.

However, you don't have to be living in Tanzania or interested in conservation to find this book interesting. Mr. Western's writing style is lucid and concise, striking the perfect balance between informal storytelling and theoretical insights. I recommend this to anyone interested in a variety of topics from anthropology, conservation and history, to those who, well, just enjoy a good story.