"Politics of the wild details the 353 species at risk in Canada and considers both the intrinsic and the instrumental reasons for protecting biological diversity, with chapters examining the need for habitat protection, terrestrial protected areas such as national parks, marine species at risk, and the various legislative and interest group attempts to preserve biodiversity. Public policy on endangered species is considered from both historical and comparative perspectives, as is Canada's role in establishing international agreements--and the government's failure, in recent years, to meet the obligations that they entail."--Cover.

Summarizes the situation of several dozen species of Canadian wildlife faced with the very real possibility of extinction.