ABSTRACT

When naturalists introduced the word ‘biodiversity’, they had no idea that a few decades later they would have to add the proliferation of surprising connections among organisms the proliferation of many more surprising connections between political institutions devoted to the protection of this or that organism. While naturalists could previously limit themselves, for instance, to situating the red tuna in the great chain of predators and prey, they now have to add to this ecosystem Japanese consumers, activists, and even president Sarkozy, who had promised to protect the fish before retreating once again when confronted with the Mediterranean fishing fleet.