On the hundredth anniversary of its foundation, the international firm CEMEX – a leader in its field – presents us with The Human Footprint: Challenges for Wilderness and Biodiversity. This company's dedication to protection of the environment is made clear in the excellent material it has been publishing for just over ten years. Megadiversity, Hotspots I and II, The Red Book, Wildlife Spectacles, and Transboundary Conservation are just a few of the titles of this important series of books about nature. The Wildlife Conservation Society, Agrupación Sierra Madre, The WILD Foundation and the International League of Conservation Photographers joined forces to produce this book, which we hope will have a profound impact on readers and encourage them to collaborate in the conservation of wilderness and biodiversity.

As we begin the voyage into this young millennium, it is our hope that this book will serve as a road map to the human footprint and its implications for the future of life on Earth. Using some of the best available science, state-of-the-art GIS mapping, and satellite technology, as well as the most compelling images created by some of the world's best photographers, we hope to illustrate the human footprint and to suggest some of the answers and avenues of action necessary to address its most pressing challenges. We have compiled the thoughts, feelings and ideas of several of the world's leading conservation scientists and thinkers of our times, and it is our hope that their urgent call to action is heeded by all who read this book. Together, we want you to know about the severity of the problem, and also about what can be done – by individuals, institutions, corporations, and governments – to make the situation better. Please join us in this journey to discover what the human footprint means for our planet's biodiversity and for humanity's well being, and more importantly, what we can all do to turn the human footprint from a destructive force into one of hope for all life on Earth.