Showing 1–12 of 98 results
-
Rainforest Dispatches from Earth’s Most Vital Frontlines
Artist/Author: Juniper, Tony$33.00 Add to cartRainforests are key to the health of our world – they maintain the water and air cycles, store carbon, and have yielded countless numbers of medical drugs. We have already destroyed half their area. We need urgently to save the half that’s left. This book explains why – and how.
Rainforests are the lungs of our planet – regulators of the earth’s temperature and weather. They are also home to 50 per cent of the world’s animals and plants – which for centuries have been the source of many of our key medicines. And yet we’ve all heard of their systematic destruction; the raising of trees to make way for plantations of oil palms or cattle, the disenfranchisement of indigenous peoples, and the corruption that leads to illegal logging and pollution.But this is the full story you’ve never heard: an in depth, wide-ranging, first-hand narrative that not only looks at the state of the world’s tropical rainforests today and the implications arising from their continuing decline, but also at what is being done, and can be done in future, to protect the forests and the 1.6 billion people that depend upon them. It is inspirational, too, in its descriptions of the rainforest’s remarkable birds and plants … and its indigenous people.
Rainforest is a personal story, drawing on the author’s many years’ experience at the frontline of the fight to save the rainforests, explaining the science and history of the campaigns, and what it has felt like to be there, amid the conflicts and dilemmas.
-
Myth of Silent Spring: Rethinking the Origins of American Environmentalism
Artist/Author: Montrie, Chad$44.00 Add to cartSince its publication in 1962, Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring has often been celebrated as the catalyst that sparked an American environmental movement. Yet environmental consciousness and environmental protest in some regions of the United States date back to the nineteenth century and the advent of industrial manufacturing and consequent growth of cities. As these changes transformed peoples’ lives, ordinary Americans came to recognize the connections between economic exploitation, social inequality, and environmental problems. In turn, as the modern age dawned, these Americans relied on labor unions, sportsmen’s clubs, racial and ethnic organizations, and community groups to respond accordingly. The Myth of Silent Spring tells this story. By challenging the canonical “suburbs and songbirds” interpretation associated with Carson and her work, this book gives readers a more accurate sense of the past and better prepares them for thinking and acting in the present.
-
Where Corals Lie: A Natural and Cultural History
Artist/Author: Schick, J. Malcolm$80.00 Add to cartComing June 2018For millennia corals were a marine enigma confounding classification and occupying a space between the animal and vegetable kingdoms. Ultimately their animal and symbiotic natures were recognized, and they remain the focus of intense fascination and research. The danger to seafarers posed by unseen underwater coral reefs led to their association with death and interment that has figured in literature, poetry, music and film. The bright redness of precious Mediterranean coral was associated with blood, including coral’s gory origin in European and Indian mythology, and its place in religion. Corals have long been prized as jewellery and ornament, and were a feature of many Kunstkammer collections during the Renaissance. Seen as ‘rainforests of the sea’, coral reefs have become greenly emblematic of fragile marine biodiversity, warning of human-driven global climate change.This book uniquely treats the many manifestations of corals in biology and geology; how diverse corals came to figure in art, expeditionary accounts, medicine, folklore, geopolitics, and international trade; and corals as builders of islands and protectors of coastlines, and as building materials themselves. Exceptionally illustrated with a wide range of natural history images, underwater photographs and fine art, this book provides a unique resource for all interested in ocean environments and the cultures that have flourished there. -
Asia’s Wildlife: A Journey to the Forests of Hope
Artist/Author: Lai, Fanny, Bjorn Olesen$50.00 Add to cartCome on a year-long photographic journey to the most remote and biodiverse forests in eight different countries in Asia and learn about rarely seen, let alone photographed, endangered animal species.
Produced to raise funds and awareness of nature conservation through their Forest of Hope program; Asia’s Wildlife is a mesmerizing account of the expedition taken by Fanny Lai and photographer, Bjorn Olesen to observe, photograph, and describe Asia’s most distinctive animal species.
Over 190 images and illustrations feature 129 different animal species, of which 72 are national endemics including:
- Giant Cloud Rats
- The Majestic Philippine Eagle
- The critically endangered Helmeted Hornbill
- And many, many more fascinating creatures!
Ongoing conservation efforts to protect these precious forests are described as well as the real threats to the future.
-
The Curious Life of Krill: A Conservation Story from the Bottom of the World
Artist/Author: Nicol, Stephen$40.00 Add to cartAn eminent krill scientist takes us on a journey through the dark, icy world of krill.
Krill. It’s a familiar word that conjures oceans, whales, and swimming crustaceans. Scientists say they are one of most abundant animals on the planet. But few can accurately describe krill or explain their ecological importance. Eminent krill scientist Stephen Nicol wants us to know more about these enigmatic creatures and how we can protect them as Antarctic ice melts. This engaging account takes us to the Southern Ocean to learn firsthand the difficulties and rewards of studying krill in their habitat. From his early education about the sex lives of krill in the Bay of Fundy to a krill tattoo gone awry, Nicol uses humor and personal stories to bring the biology and beauty of krill to life.
-
Aliens Among Us: How Invasive Species Are Transforming the Planet—and Ourselves
Artist/Author: Anthony, Leslie$60.00 Add to cartA thoughtful, accessible look at the rapidly growing issue of invasive plants, animals, and microbes around the globe with a focus on the scientific issues and ecological, health, and other challenges. From award-winning adventure and science journalist comes an eye-opening exploration of a burgeoning environmental phenomenon and the science coalescing around it. Leslie Anthony leads readers on adventures physical and philosophical as he explores how and why invasive species are hijacking ecosystems around the globe. Weaving science, travel, history, and humor with diverse examples to chart and describe the phases of species invasion and human response, Anthony introduces field researchers and managers who seek to understand the biological, social, and economic aspects of this complex issue, and whose work collectively suggests the emergence of a global shadow economy centered on invasives.
With tales of pythons in the Everglades, Asian carp and lamprey in the Great Lakes, Japanese knotweed seemingly everywhere, and the invasive organisms we don’t see—pathogens and microbes such as the Zika virus—this book rivets attention on a new ecological reality. -
The Hawkesbury River: A Social and Natural History
Artist/Author: Boon, Paul I.$120.00 Add to cartA definitive account of the natural history of the Hawkesbury River and the pivotal role it has played in history.
The Hawkesbury River is the longest coastal river in New South Wales. A vital source of water and food, it has a long Aboriginal history and was critical for the survival of the early British colony at Sydney. The Hawkesbury’s weathered shores, cliffs and fertile plains have inspired generations of artists. It is surrounded by an unparalleled mosaic of national parks, including the second-oldest national park in Australia, Ku-ring-gai National Park. Although it lies only 35 km north of Sydney, to many today the Hawkesbury is a ‘hidden river’ – its historical and natural significance not understood or appreciated.
Until now, the Hawkesbury has lacked an up-to-date and comprehensive book describing how and when the river formed, how it functions ecologically, how it has influenced humans and their patterns of settlement and, in turn, how it has been affected by those settlements and their people. The Hawkesbury River: A Social and Natural History fills this gap. With chapters on the geography, geology, hydrology and ecology of the river through to discussion of its use by Aboriginal and European people and its role in transport, defence and culture, this highly readable and richly illustrated book paints a picture of a landscape worthy of protection and conservation. It will be of value to those who live, visit or work in the region, those interested in Australian environmental history, and professionals in biology, natural resource management and education. -
Oceans: Science and Solutions for Australia
Artist/Author: Mapstone, Bruce (Editor)$25.00 Add to cartThe latest scientific knowledge from CSIRO and other agencies to describe what we know about our oceans.
Australia has the third largest marine estate in the world, extending from the tropics to Antarctica and including vast areas of the Indian, Pacific and Southern Oceans. We have a good reputation for management of our marine estate but there is still much to understand about how our actions affect the oceans, including through climate change, fishing, resource extraction, shipping, and recreation and tourism. -
Australian Island Arks: Conservation, Management and Opportunities
Artist/Author: Moro, Dorian, Derek Ball, Sally Bryant (Editors)$80.00 Add to cartAustralia is the custodian of a diverse range of continental and oceanic islands. From Heard and Macquarie in the sub-Antarctic, to temperate Lord Howe and Norfolk, to the tropical Cocos (Keeling) Islands and the islands of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia’s islands contain some of the nation’s most iconic fauna, flora and ecosystems. They are a refuge for over 35% of Australia’s threatened species and for many others declining on mainland Australia. They also have significant cultural value, especially for Indigenous communities, and economic value as centres for tourism.
-
Monitoring Threatened Species and Ecological Communities
Artist/Author: Legge, Sarah, David Lindenmayer, Natasha Robinson, Benjamin Scheele, Darren Southwell, Brendan Wintle$70.00 Add to cartMonitoring is integral to all aspects of policy and management for threatened biodiversity. It is fundamental to assessing the conservation status and trends of listed species and ecological communities. Monitoring data can be used to diagnose the causes of decline, to measure management effectiveness and to report on investment. It is also a valuable public engagement tool. Yet in Australia, monitoring threatened biodiversity is not always optimally managed.
-
Primate communities.
Artist/Author: Fleagle, J. G. et al.$40.00 Add to cartComprehensive and unique volume exploring the differences and similarities between primate communities worldwide.
Although the behaviour and ecology of primates have been more thoroughly studied than that of any other group of mammals, there have been very few attempts to compare the communities of living primates found in different parts of the world. In Primate communities, an international group of experts compares the composition, behaviour and ecology of primate communities in Africa, Asia, Madagascar and South America. They examine the factors underlying the similarities and differences between these communities, including their phylogenetic history, climate, rainfall, soil type, forest composition, competition with other vertebrates and human activities. As it brings together information about primate communities from around the world for the very first time, it will quickly become an important source book for researchers in anthropology, ecology and conservation, and a readable and informative text for undergraduate and graduate students studying primate ecology, primate conservation or primate behaviour. -
Galapagos: preserving Darwin’s legacy.
Artist/Author: De Roy, Tui.$71.00 Add to cartThis sumptuous large-format book was first produced in 2009 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the Charles Darwin Foundation on Galapagos. The book comprises a series of invited essays under the editorship of world-renowned photographer and long-term Galapagos resident, Tui de Roy, who has also provided most of the photographs. The authoritative essays cover the entire spectrum of Galapagos wildlife including the marine environment, unique vegetation such as sunflower trees as well as wildlife including giant tortoises, marine iguanas, sea lions and the Galapagos finches that inspired Darwin’s theory of evolution. This new edition has significant updates to a number of chapters including brand new photography and information about scientific developments elsewhere and a new jacket.
