In “Wild American Ginseng: Lessons for Conservation in the Age of Humans,” McGraw traces the dramatic ecological history of ginseng in North America, documenting the ginseng-centric view of a world increasingly dominated by both direct and indirect actions of humans. Far more than a story of a single plant species, ginseng becomes a parable, a canary in a coal mine, for what is happening to dwindling wild species across the globe. Documenting lingchi (death by a thousand cuts) in human interactions with wild species, McGraw shows readers the evidence of slowly eroding biodiversity and diminishing global biotreasury.
McGraw also offers a pathway to an optimistic future for ginseng and the wild species with whom peopleshare the planet. He illuminates how a dramatic expansion of commitment to sharing the planet with fellow planetary companions is the key to preservation; and now is the time to do so