Michael Samways is an unashamedly passionate advocate for the conservation of ‘the little things that run the earth’, to borrow E.O. Wilson's memorable description of the insects. These organisms represent perhaps as much as 75% of terrestrial species, and Samways sets out to explore the reasons for conserving them, the main threats to their survival, and the practical approaches used to prioritize and achieve their conservation.

A notable aspect of this book is its truly global perspective, and the author does well to draw together a huge diversity of examples from ecosystems all over the world; the list of references alone stretches to 50 pages. For me, one of the best things about this book was the amount I learned about the peculiarities and specifics of insect conservation the world over; a reminder that with a group as speciose and ecologically diverse as the insects, conservationists inevitable face a huge diversity of challenges and potential solutions. All of conservation biology is here, from intensive autecological study and conservation legislation for ‘charismatic microfauna’ like certain butterflies, to considerations of the impacts of habitat modification and fragmentation on ecosystem functions mediated by insects, like nutrient cycling and pollination.

The book is nicely produced and well illustrated, with a diagram or plate on almost every other page. I found a few minor factual errors in the text (for example on p. 96, Hesperia comma is the silver-spotted skipper butterfly, not the comma), and quite a few typographical errors in the references.

I came to this book direct from editing journal manuscripts concerned largely with identifying ever more efficient ways of killing pest insects, so it was refreshing to read a text that begins with the description of insects as ‘these jewels of our planet’. I hope that Samways’ enthusiastic text will win many converts to the cause of insect conservation.