"In an appraisal of the current threat to global biodiversity, Michael M. Gunter, Jr., concludes that nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are in the best position to negotiate the powerful and often conflicting political and economic interests involved in species loss as well as species preservation." "Showing how NGOs fit into the landscape of international biodiversity protection and what makes them so effective, Gunter's work demonstrates that NGOs provide invaluable assistance by fostering fundamental linkages between domestic and international, ecological and economic, and short- an long-term considerations. Such linkages are of strategic importance, for they defuse special-interest political agendas and open up avenues for discussing biodiversity issues worldwide. In short, they help build the next ark."--BOOK JACKET.