Seven names for the bellbird : conservation geography in Honduras /

The three-wattled bellbird's call creates a backdrop of sound heard throughout the province of Olancho, Honduras. The local people have seven distinctive names for this flamboyant species, each reflecting the unique relationship that the Hondureans have with their environment. Bonta (geography, Delta State Univ.) discusses the benefits of linking environmental conservation efforts with knowledge of local culture, folklore, and customs. The outside world views Olancho as promoting destruction of the neotropical rainforest. Usually, the first reaction to this destruction is to impose our beliefs and values in order to save the rainforests. Hondureans who do not want to leave their land are forced to clear and farm the land in order to survive. Large corporations in Latin America are also destroying the landscape, but since quite often the pine-oak forests or tropical dry forests, not rainforests, are destroyed, it is not viewed as a threat to the ecological balance. Throughout, Bonta skillfully blends recollections and natural history with a strong message, connecting needs of people and love of the land with the desire to work together to achieve an ecological balance. Well researched; chapter references; list of birds species in Olancho; Spanish glossary; extensive bibliography. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. General readers; lower- and upper-division undergraduates. C. S. McCoy University of South Florida