High up in the rainforest canopy, life is abundant and beautiful, yet much of it has remained a mystery until very recently. Dr. Meg Lowman, former Earthwatch principal investigator and one of the pioneers of canopy research, offers a rare tour of the treetops in her lively and engaging memoir. A canopy scientist for more than twenty years, Lowman first gained access to the treetops with ropes and ladders, later a cherry-picker and construction cranes, and recently with such advanced methods as hot-air balloons and treetop walkways.
In Life in the Treetops, Lowman describes her scientific studies in forest canopies around the world and her challenges as a field biologist, wife, and single mother. Lowman, director of the Selby Botanical Gardens, has conducted research in every major rain forest region around the world. In her book, she describes her Earthwatch expeditions to Australia, as well as later fieldwork in Peru, Cameroon, and Panama where she has been combining canopy ecology research with conservation initiatives in partnership with local people. This delightful and engaging book is a testament to the passion that drives field scientists to great heights.
Life in the Treetops: Adventures of a Woman in Field Biology. Margaret D. Lowman. Yale University Press, 1999.