Showing 1–12 of 147 results
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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.
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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. -
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.
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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.
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The new wild: why invasive species will be nature’s salvation.
Artist/Author: Pearce, Fred.$35.00 Add to cartVeteran environmental journalist Fred Pearce used to think of invasive species as evil interlopers spoiling pristine ‘natural’ ecosystems. Most conservationists would agree with this, but what if traditional ecology is wrong, and true environmentalists should be applauding the invaders? In this book, Pearce goes on a journey to rediscover what conservation should really be about. He explores ecosystems from Pacific islands to the Australian outback to the Thames estuary, digs into the questionable costs of invader species, and reveals the outdated intellectual sources of our ideas about the balance of nature. Keeping out alien species looks increasingly flawed. The new ecologists looking afresh at how species interact in the wild believe we should celebrate the dynamism of alien species and the novel ecosystems they create. In an era of climate change and widespread ecological damage, we must find ways to help nature regenerate. Embracing the ‘new wild’ is our best chance. Also available in paperback [Stock ID: 38945]
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The rise and fall of Gunns Ltd.
Artist/Author: Beresford, Quentin.$33.00 Add to cartAt its peak, Gunns Ltd had a market value of $1 billion, was listed on the ASX 200, was the largest employer in the state of Tasmania and its largest private landowner. Most of its profits came from woodchipping, mainly from clear-felled old-growth forests and pulp mill was central to its expansion plans. Its collapse in 2012 was a major national news story, as was the arrest of its CEO for insider trading. Here, Beresford illuminates for the first time the dark corners of the Gunns empire. He shows it was built on close relationships with state and federal governments, political donations and use of the law to intimidate and silence its critics. Gunns may have been single-minded in its pursuit of a pulp mill in Tasmania’s Tamar Valley, but it was embedded in an anti-democratic and corrupt system of power supported by both main parties, business and unions. Simmering opposition to Gunns and all it stood for ramped up into an environmental campaign not seen since the Franklin Dam protests. Fearless and forensic in its analysis, the book shows that Tasmania’s decades-long quest to industrialise nature fails every time. But the collapse of Gunns is the most telling of them all.
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The Southwest: Australia’s biodiversity hotspot.
Artist/Author: Laurie, Victoria.$45.00 Add to cartIn this lavishly illustrated book, Victoria Laurie uncovers the southwest of Australia, a triangle of land that encompasses a multitude of natural worlds. One third of all known Australian plant species is found growing in the southwest, and the region has been designated ‘Australia’s Global Biodiversity Hotspot,’ one of only thirty-four such hotspots in the world and the only one on this continent. Driven by her own passion for this country, Laurie presents us with the voices of scientists and those dedicated to protecting a fragile ecology supporting up to 150,000 species. Life forms and landscapes are a feature of this informative and thrilling discovery of a region that has evolved with abundant biodiversity because of its isolation.
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Under Kalahari skies: ecology and conservation in Botswana.
Artist/Author: Hartnett, David C.$48.00 Add to cartTemporary out of stock until 2016. Starting with close observation of the region’s ecology and biology, Hartnett unpacks the stories and challenges of a country which, in many ways, is a model of conservation for the African continent.
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Sustainable futures: linking population, resources and the environment.
Artist/Author: Goldie, Jenny and Katharine Betts.$40.00 Add to cartSustainable Futures explores the links between population growth, diminishing resources and environmental challenges, and what they mean for Australia’s future. Written by leaders in their fields, and based on presentations from the 2013 Fenner Conference on ‘Population, Resources and Climate Change’, this book is a timely insight into the intertwined challenges that we currently face, and what can be done to ensure a sustainable and viable future. The book identifies the major areas of concern for Australia’s future, including environmental, social and economic implications of population growth, mineral and natural resources, food, land and water issues, climate change and the obstacles and opportunities for action. Accessible, informative and authoritative, Sustainable Futures will be of interest to policy makers, students and professionals in the fields of sustainability and population growth.
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Running out: water in Western Australia.
Artist/Author: Morgan, Ruth A.$35.00 Add to cartRuth Morgan explores the people of Australia’s west’s fear of running out of water – a fear that has long concerned the region’s inhabitants and loomed large on the state’s political agenda. It has shaped how urban and rural Western Australians learned to live with the effects of a variable climate on their water supply, lifestyle, and livelihood. This is a story of hardship and persistence; of inclusion, exclusion and defiant profligacy in the face of growing scarcity, through a period of great development and social change. An engrossing environmental history that offers a new understanding of the past, this book questions this way of life as we approach an uncertain future in a drying climate.
