Reefs And Rain Forests

The Natural Heritage of Malaysian Borneo

Text and photographs by Murray S. Kaufman

Winner of the Prix Mondial Du Livre D'Image Sous-Marine award for the Best Book of Underwater Images in the World

This gorgeous book presents a graceful and poignant essay about, and spectacular color photographs of, the two most important and endangered ecosystems on earth, what Kaufman describes as “the last living Eden”. He spent more than seven years photographing the beauty and fragility “of a part of the world little known and rarely visited by Westerners”. He shows us the powerful contrasts and similarities of these two unique environments in an intimate, cohesive and unprecedented way.

Through his photographs, which depict graphically the vital essential concept of biodiversity, Kaufman opens the way for a new understanding and a new commitment to conservation of these rain forests and coral reefs.

The book's three chapters depict a phenomenal array of floral and fauna, including some newly discovered species. ”Reefs“ illustrates the astounding beauty and diverse life of an ecosystem surpassing all other marine ecosystems in the world. “Rain Forests” reveals the intense richness of plant and animal life in one of the world's largest rain forests, where average rainfall exceeds 200 inches per year. “Regarding Conservation” explores the diverse and wide-ranging efforts to protect, conserve, and restore the beauty and biodiversity of the rain forests and coral reefs of Malaysian Borneo.

Kaufman's photos give us a vision and a feel for what he describes as, “one of the most exuberantly alive, and essential, places on Earth.” They are an invitation for all of us to visit and explore nature in all its mystery and splendor.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this title will be donated to World Wildlife Fund Malaysia. The cover and an 18-page excerpt of 30 images from the book appeared in the Spring 2002 issue of Nature's Best.

276 pages, 10" x 12 ", full-color dust jacket, 226 full-color photographs, 3 color maps, technical notes, photographer's notes, 2002. Published by Reefs and Rain Forests Publications.
ISBN 0-9710655-0-0 cloth

Price: $49.95