Conservation of the environment Books

Book SynopsisFinally, a comprehensive book on land conservation financing for community and regional conservation leaders. "A Field Guide to Conservation Finance" provides essential advice on how to tackle the universal obstacle to protecting private land in America: lack of money. Story Clark dispels the myths that conservationists can access only private funds controlled by individuals or that only large conservation organizations have clout with big capital markets. She shows how small land conservation organizations can achieve conservation goals using both traditional and cutting-edge financial strategies. Clark outlines essential tools for raising money, borrowing money, and reducing the cost of transactions. She covers a range of subjects including transfer fees, voluntary surcharges, seller financing, revolving funds, and Project Related Investment programs (PRIs). A clear, well-written overview of the basics of conservation finance with useful insights and real stories combine to create a book that is an invaluable and accessible guide for land trusts seeking to protect more land. "A Field Guide to Conservation Finance" is a two-volume resource. The first book sets out basic tools and techniques for conservationists, while the second will offer more complex examples and applications. As conservation dollars become more scarce and inaccessible, these how-to books are essential guides leading to a higher level of success in conservation finance.

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Book SynopsisWhat's the connection between a plate of king prawns at your local restaurant and murdered fishermen in Honduras, impoverished women in Ecuador, and disastrous hurricanes along America's Gulf coast? Mangroves. Many people have never heard of these salt-water forests, but for those who depend on their riches, mangroves are indispensable. They are natural storm barriers, home to innumerable exotic creatures - from crab-eating vipers to man-eating tigers - and provide food and livelihoods to millions of coastal dwellers. Now they are being destroyed to make way for shellfish farming and other coastal development. For those who stand in the way of these industries, the consequences can be deadly. In "Let Them Eat Shrimp", Kennedy Warne takes readers into the muddy battle zone that is the mangrove forest. A tangle of snaking roots and twisted trunks, mangroves are often dismissed as foul wastelands. In fact, they are supermarkets of the sea, providing shellfish, honey, timber, and charcoal to coastal communities from New Zealand to South America to Florida. Generations have built their lives around mangroves and consider these swamps sacred. To shellfish farmers and land developers, mangroves simply represent a good investment. The tidal land on which they stand often has no title, so with a nod and wink from a compliant official, it can be turned from a public resource to a private possession. The forests are bulldozed; their traditional users dispossessed. The true price of shellfish farming and other coastal development has gone largely unheralded in the media. A longtime journalist, Warne now captures the insatiability of these industries and the magic of the mangroves.

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Book SynopsisSalvage logging - removing trees from a forested area in the wake of a catastrophic event such as a wildfire or hurricane - is highly controversial. Policymakers and those with an economic interest in harvesting trees typically argue that damaged areas should be logged so as to avoid "wasting" resources, while many forest ecologists contend that removing trees following a disturbance is harmful to a variety of forest species and can interfere with the natural process of ecosystem recovery."Salvage Logging and Its Ecological Consequences" brings together three leading experts on forest ecology to explore a wide range of issues surrounding the practice of salvage logging. They gather and synthesize the latest research and information about its economic and ecological costs and benefits, and consider the impacts of salvage logging on ecosystem processes and biodiversity. The book examines: what salvage logging is and why it is controversial; natural and human disturbance regimes in forested ecosystems; differences between salvage harvesting and traditional timber harvesting; scientifically documented ecological impacts of salvage operations; and, the importance of land management objectives in determining appropriate post-disturbance interventions.Brief case studies from around the world highlight a variety of projects, including operations that have followed wildfires, storms, volcanic eruptions, and insect infestations. In the final chapter, the authors discuss policy management implications and offer prescriptions for mitigating the impacts of future salvage harvesting efforts."Salvage Logging and Its Ecological Consequences" is a "must-read" volume for policymakers, students, academics, practitioners, and professionals involved in all aspects of forest management, natural resource planning, and forest conservation.

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Book SynopsisEffective conservation requires building strong collaborative relationships. In hundreds of watersheds and communities across the United States, conservation is being reinvented and invigorated by collaborative efforts between federal, state, and local governments working with non-governmental organizations and private landowners, and fueled by economic incentives, to promote both healthy natural communities and healthy human communities."Conservation for a New Generation" captures those efforts with chapters that explain the new landscape of conservation along with case studies that illustrate these new approaches. The book brings together leading voices in the field of environmental conservation - Lynne Sherrod, Curt Meine, Daniel Kemmis, Luther Propst, Jodi Hilty, Peter Forbes, and many others - to offer fourteen chapters and twelve case studies that demonstrate the benefits of government agencies partnering with diverse stakeholders; explore how natural resources management is evolving; discuss emerging practices for conservation, including conservation planning, ecological restoration, valuing ecosystem services, and using economic incentives; and, promote cooperation on natural resources issues that have in the past been divisive.Throughout, contributors focus on the fundamental truth that unites human and land communities: as one prospers, so does the other; as one declines, so too will the other. The book illustrates how natural resources management that emphasizes building strong relationships results in outcomes that are beneficial to both people and land.

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Book SynopsisThis title presents the evolution of resilience theory in seminal papers and commentary. Ecological resilience provides a theoretical foundation for understanding how complex systems adapt to and recover from localized disturbances like hurricanes, fires, pest outbreaks, and floods, as well as large-scale perturbations such as climate change. Ecologists have developed resilience theory over the past three decades in an effort to explain surprising and nonlinear dynamics of complex adaptive systems. Resilience theory is especially important to environmental scientists for its role in underpinning adaptive management approaches to ecosystem and resource management. "Foundations of Ecological Resilience" is a collection of the most important articles on the subject of ecological resilience - those writings that have defined and developed basic concepts in the field and help explain its importance and meaning for scientists and researchers. The book's three sections cover articles that have shaped or defined the concepts and theories of resilience, including key papers that broke new conceptual ground and contributed novel ideas to the field; examples that demonstrate ecological resilience in a range of ecosystems; and, articles that present practical methods for understanding and managing nonlinear ecosystem dynamics. "Foundations of Ecological Resilience" is an important contribution to our collective understanding of resilience and an invaluable resource for students and scholars in ecology, wildlife ecology, conservation biology, sustainability, environmental science, public policy, and related fields.

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Book SynopsisThis title presents the evolution of resilience theory in seminal papers and commentary. Ecological resilience provides a theoretical foundation for understanding how complex systems adapt to and recover from localized disturbances like hurricanes, fires, pest outbreaks, and floods, as well as large-scale perturbations such as climate change. Ecologists have developed resilience theory over the past three decades in an effort to explain surprising and nonlinear dynamics of complex adaptive systems. Resilience theory is especially important to environmental scientists for its role in underpinning adaptive management approaches to ecosystem and resource management. "Foundations of Ecological Resilience" is a collection of the most important articles on the subject of ecological resilience - those writings that have defined and developed basic concepts in the field and help explain its importance and meaning for scientists and researchers. The book's three sections cover articles that have shaped or defined the concepts and theories of resilience, including key papers that broke new conceptual ground and contributed novel ideas to the field; examples that demonstrate ecological resilience in a range of ecosystems; and, articles that present practical methods for understanding and managing nonlinear ecosystem dynamics. "Foundations of Ecological Resilience" is an important contribution to our collective understanding of resilience and an invaluable resource for students and scholars in ecology, wildlife ecology, conservation biology, sustainability, environmental science, public policy, and related fields.

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Book Synopsis"Making Nature Whole" is a seminal volume that presents an in-depth history of the field of ecological restoration as it has developed over the last three decades. The authors draw from both published and unpublished sources, including archival materials and oral histories from early practitioners, to explore the development of the field and its importance to environmental management as well as to the larger environmental movement and our understanding of the world. Considering antecedents as varied as monastic gardens, the Scientific Revolution, and the emerging nature-awareness of nineteenth-century 'Romantics and Transcendentalists', Jordan and Lubick offer unique insight into the field's philosophical and theoretical underpinnings. They examine specifically the more recent history, including the story of those who first attempted to recreate natural ecosystems early in the twentieth century, as well as those who over the past few decades have realised the value of this approach not only as a critical element in conservation but also as a context for negotiating the ever-changing relationship between humans and the natural environment. "Making Nature Whole" is a landmark contribution, providing context and history regarding a distinctive form of land management and giving readers a fascinating overview of the development of the field. It is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding where ecological restoration came from or where it might be going.

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Book SynopsisBetween 1994 and 2008, American voters approved almost $32 billion for local land conservation. However, there was at that time no resource available to guide officials as they implemented the voters' mandates. "The Conservation Program Handbook" was written in response to numerous requests to The Trust for Public Land for guidance from community leaders who wanted to know how to effectively conserve their iconic landscapes. "The Conservation Program Handbook" is a manual that provides all of the information - on a broad spectrum of topics - that conservation professionals are likely to require. It compiles and distills advice from professionals involved in successful conservation efforts across the country, including a list of 'best practices' for the most critical issues conservationists can expect to face.

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Book SynopsisThough seasonally dry tropical forests are equally as important to global biodiversity as tropical rainforests, and are one of the most representative and highly endangered ecosystems in Latin America, knowledge about them remains limited because of the relative paucity of attention paid to them by scientists and researchers and a lack of published information on the subject. "Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests" seeks to address this shortcoming by bringing together a range of experts in diverse fields including biology, ecology, biogeography, and biogeochemistry, to review, synthesize, and explain the current state of our collective knowledge on the ecology and conservation of seasonally dry tropical forests. The book offers a synthetic and cross-disciplinary review of recent work with an expansive scope, including sections on distribution, diversity, ecosystem function, and human impacts. Throughout, contributors emphasise conservation issues, particularly emerging threats and promising solutions, with key chapters on climate change, fragmentation, restoration, ecosystem services, and sustainable use. Seasonally dry tropical forests are extremely rich in biodiversity, and are seriously threatened. They represent scientific terrain that is poorly explored, and there is an urgent need for increased understanding of the system's basic ecology. "Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests" represents an important step in bringing together the most current scientific information about this vital ecosystem and disseminating it to the scientific and conservation communities.

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Book SynopsisRestoring Ecological Health to Your Land, published by Island Press in 2009, was the first practical guidebook to give restorationists and would-be restorationists with little or no scientific background the “how to” information and knowledge they need to plan and implement ecological restoration activities. This companion workbook describes more fully the planning tools and techniques outlined in the book and offers a wealth of specific resources, including worksheets and spreadsheets to help you determine what equipment and plant materials you need, create project schedules, monitor results, and estimate costs.

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Book SynopsisDescribing his spiritual awakening amid the mountains and valleys of central California, John Muir's My First Summer in the Sierra is, like Walden, one of the seminal texts in the literature of the American environment. It is presented here with an introduction by writer and activist Bill McKibben and related essays about Yosemite, the Hetch Hetchy Valley, and other wonders of the Sierra Nevada.

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Book SynopsisA special edition of one of the greatest masterpieces of the environmental movement—plus original photographs and other writings on environmental ethicsSince his death in 1948, Aldo Leopold has been increasingly recognized as one of the indispensable figures of American environmentalism. A pioneering forester, sportsman, wildlife manager, and ecologist, he was also a gifted writer whose farsighted land ethic is proving increasingly relevant in our own time. Now, Leopold’s essential contributions to our literature—some hard-to-find or previously unpublished—are gathered in a single volume for the first time. Here is his classic A Sand County Almanac, hailed—along with Thoreau’s Walden and Carson’s Silent Spring—as one of the main literary influences on the modern environmental movement. Published in 1949, it remains a vivid, firsthand, philosophical tour de force. Along with Sand County are more than fifty articles, essays, and lectures exploring the new complexities of ecological science and what we would now call environmental ethics. Leopold’s sharp-eyed, often humorous journals are illustrated here for the first time with his original photographs, drawings, and maps. Also unique to this collection is a selection of over 100 letters, most of them never before published, tracing his personal and professional evolution and his efforts to foster in others the love and sense of responsibility he felt for the land.LIBRARY OF AMERICA is an independent nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1979 to preserve our nation’s literary heritage by publishing, and keeping permanently in print, America’s best and most significant writing. The Library of America series includes more than 300 volumes to date, authoritative editions that average 1,000 pages in length, feature cloth covers, sewn bindings, and ribbon markers, and are printed on premium acid-free paper that will last for centuries.

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Book SynopsisMals, Italy, has long been known as the breadbasket of the Tyrol. But recently the tiny town became known for something else entirely. A Precautionary Tale tells us why, introducing readers to an unlikely group of activists and a forward-thinking mayor who came together to ban pesticides in Mals by a referendum vote—making it the first place on Earth to accomplish such a feat, and a model for other towns and regions to follow. For hundreds of years, the people of Mals had cherished their traditional foodways and kept their local agriculture organic. Their town had become a mecca for tourists drawn by the alpine landscape, the rural and historic character of the villages, and the fine breads, wines, cheeses, herbs, vegetables, and the other traditional foods they produced. Yet Mals is located high up in the eastern Alps, and the valley below was being steadily overtaken by big apple producers, heavily dependent on pesticides. As Big Apple crept further and further up the region’s mountainsides, their toxic spray drifted with the valley’s ever-present winds and began to fall on the farms and fields of Mals—threatening their organic certifications, as well as their health and that of their livestock. The advancing threats gradually motivated a diverse cast of characters to take action—each in their own unique way, and then in concert in an iconic display of direct democracy in action. As Ackerman-Leist recounts their uprising, we meet an organic dairy farmer who decides to speak up when his hay is poisoned by drift; a pediatrician who engaged other medical professionals to protect the soil, water, and air that the health of her patients depends upon; a hairdresser whose salon conversations mobilized the town’s women in an extraordinarily conceived campaign; and others who together orchestrated one of the rare revolutionary successes of our time and inspired a movement now snaking its way through Europe and the United States. A foreword by Vandana Shiva calls upon others to follow in Mals’s footsteps.Trade ReviewBooklist— "Northern Italy’s South Tyrol province is at a cultural crossroads where the Swiss, Austrians, and Italians have all claimed the region’s fertile slopes. The latest struggle for the area is agricultural, pitting organic farmers against Big Apple, the opposition’s nickname for a cooperative of fruit growers who spray pesticides on their high-tech orchards up to 20 times per year. Due to frequent winds, Big Apple’s pesticides drift into the adjacent organic fields, harming the income and reputation of farmers who pledged to be chemical-free. Thanks to its remoteness, Mals, a municipality in South Tyrol, has been out of Big Apple’s reach, but the construction of industrial orchards is approaching. This is the story of Mals and its successful, preemptive campaign to ban pesticides within the township borders. With profiles of organic farmers, descriptions of traditional foods, and accounts of creative local politics, the book will appeal to readers who enjoy reading encouraging stories of grassroots environmental action. A short 'activist’s primer' is included." Publishers Weekly— "In this down-to-earth volume on the effects of pesticides, Ackerman-Leist (Rebuilding the Foodshed), a farmer and professor at Green Mountain College, chronicles the agricultural battles waged in Mals, a town in the Italian Alps filling fast with apple orchards. Residents had grown accustomed to the 'gradual march of the orchards up the slopes' but were dismayed by the 'enveloping mists blasted from the spray machines mounted on the back of the advancing tractors.' Ackerman-Leist profiles some of the crucial actors in Mals’s fight against 'Big Apple,' during which the residents of Mals passed a referendum vote to ban pesticides. He introduces Günther Wallnöfer, an organic dairy farmer whose family business sat adjacent to a new orchard; residue from the orchard’s chemical sprays had found its way to Wallnöfer’s livestock. Ackerman-Leist also talks with Peter Gasser, a veterinarian who interacted daily with farmers and livestock. As a result of this work Gasser had a thorough knowledge of the community’s issues, which he would later use to help lead the fight against pesticides in the town. Ackerman-Leist argues that Mals’s story has particular relevance for American farmers who face similar circumstances, and he concludes his discussion with useful suggestions for farming communities on topics such as information gathering and political engagement.”Foreword Reviews- "Focusing on a region of the Alps where farming has been a mainstay for millennia, this book examines a successful grassroots movement to ban pesticides…. A Precautionary Tale is an optimistic read with an enthusiastic and celebratory tone. Activists will find it inspiring, and community leaders in a position to take the example of Mals may see in it a blueprint for peaceful, calm, and productive civil discussion around the environment."“An inspiring tale of citizen science and community action.”—Raj Patel, author of Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System“Ackerman-Leist tells the story of how a small town took on the powerful forces of chemical agriculture and not only won, but created a template that anyone seeking a poison-free environment anywhere in the world can follow.”—Barry Estabrook, author of Tomatoland and Pig Tales“Climate change, xenophobia, war, hunger, madmen and autocrats running the world. It’s easy to feel paralyzed when faced with the enormity of our modern dilemma. Philip Ackerman-Leist’s A Precautionary Tale gives us hope, and provides us with a real-life tale of regular folk who stood up to the Goliath that was about to swallow their community, and succeeded. This book is living proof that even against overwhelming odds we have enormous power in and around the places where we live.”—Michael Ableman, farmer and; author of Street Farm: Growing Food, Jobs, and Hope on the Urban Frontier“A Precautionary Tale is the hopeful message we all need! Philip Ackerman-Leist shows us that we still have the power, as citizens, to gather and change the reality of our daily lives. The people from Mals could be you and me. They have proven that working for empowerment is not in vain. Indeed, they have managed to defeat giant corporations. And they remind us that we can’t let despair or sadness paralyze us, that we can trust the strength of community, and that we must do our part and act.”—Perrine and Charles Hervé-Gruyer, authors of Miraculous Abundance“Many, many thanks to Philip Ackerman-Leist for telling us the wonderful story of Mals, the town in Italy that decided to ban the use of pesticides! This story is extremely inspiring for us all. It shows that there is a way out of the actual dependency of our agriculture on pesticides, and that a group of informed and active citizens, together with brave local politicians, can change the world for the better. May this excellent book inspire communities all around the world—and our politicians, too!”—François Veillerette, chair, Pesticide Action Network Europe

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Book SynopsisThe Dark Mountain Project began with a manifesto published in 2009 by two English writers—Dougald Hine and Paul Kingsnorth—who felt that literature was not responding honestly to the crises of our time. In a world in which the climate is being altered by human activities; in which global ecosystems are being destroyed by the advance of industrial civilisation; and in which the dominant economic and cultural assumptions of the West are visibly crumbling, Dark Mountain asked: where are the writers and the artists? Why are the mainstream cultural forms of our society still behaving as if this were the twentieth century—or even the nineteenth? Dark Mountain’s call for writers, thinkers and artists willing to face the depth of the mess we are in has made it a gathering point for a growing international network. Rooted in place, time and nature, their work finds a home in the pages of the Dark Mountain books, with two new volumes published every year. Walking on Lava brings together the best of the first ten volumes, along with the original manifesto. This collection of essays, fiction, poetry, interviews and artwork introduces The Dark Mountain Project’s groundbreaking work to a wider audience in search of ‘the hope beyond hope, the paths which lead to the unknown world ahead of us.’Trade Review“In a world of disintegrating certainties, the vacuum left behind is terrifying. Yet the Dark Mountain Project insists on exploring this space, which the mainstream bids us ignore. For that alone it is invaluable. And when we are brave enough to open our eyes, Walking on Lava reveals that we are not alone. What new stories might we tell, together?”—Shaun Chamberlin, author of The Transition Timeline; editor of Lean Logic and Surviving the Future“The Dark Mountain Project has at last arrived in the United States with this splendidly ecological book, one to which Rachel Carson, Ed Abbey, and Aldo Leopold would have been proud to contribute. Urgently recommended!”—Lawrence Millman, author of At the End of the World“It’s wonderful that with this book an outsider can finally see all the things the Dark Mountain Project has been doing all these years. Probably won’t avert civilization’s collapse, but it’s good to have.”—Kirkpatrick Sale, author of Human Scale Revisited“In a culture killing the planet, and in a culture based on denial, I am grateful that the authors in this volume acknowledge the horrors we face. I hope that people will read this book, and armed with its important analysis, they will then act decisively to protect the planet that is our only home.”—Derrick Jensen, author of A Language Older Than Words, The Culture of Make Believe, Endgame, and many other books“This medley of entrancing, soul-enhancing, exciting stories will stir your creaturely blood from the very depths of our sainted Earth. You will feel enlivened in ways you had forgotten; you will breathe in the wildness of the world; a holy wind will heal you. You will journey to your wider Self—to Great Gaia, Mother of All. This Dark Mountain book will do all this for you, and more. When you’ve read it, its words coursing through your veins, more animal now, more alive—go and do something wholesome for the more-than-youness that you’ve discovered, and, at last, come home.”—Dr. Stephan Harding, resident ecologist, Schumacher College; author of Animate Earth“Dark Mountain’s call to uncivilisation is not about unravelling the survival structures of our society. It is something much deeper, putting new survival structures in place by calling back the soul. I hope that this anthology will thrill you on that journey.”—Alastair McIntosh, PhD, author of Spiritual Activism and Poacher’s Pilgrimage“A collection by turns magical, brave, earnest, and mournful but truthful throughout. The authors point the way down a faint but still visible trail beyond domination and back to our once and future place as humble animals in love with our world.”—Lierre Keith, author of The Vegetarian Myth; coauthor of Deep Green Resistance“We humans are in trouble, and because of us, most of our fellow species are also in trouble. All of the planet’s life-support systems are under stress or collapsing because of our unchecked appetites and swelling population. To find our way through the ruins and beyond, we need more than clever technology and magical markets. We need an alternative to the industrial mindset, which views Earth as raw material for human consumption and as a dump for our waste. We need the kind of diverse, clear-eyed, ecologically wise imagining gathered in this book. A bow of gratitude to the denizens of Dark Mountain.”—Scott Russell Sanders, author of Dancing in Dreamtime“This book changed my life. It puts into words the sense of utter hopelessness I feel about the fate of the world as we have known it. And yet, miraculously, it gives me ‘hope beyond hope’ for what lies ahead. The Dark Mountaineers are blazing new trails into, and through, the hot lava of our uncertain future.”—Eric Utne, founder of Utne Reader“Don’t read this book if you’re not willing to be shaken and unsettled. Unflinching and unafraid!”—Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE 2021 WAINWRIGHT PRIZE 'Compelling, fascinating, sometimes unexpectedly moving, this vitally important book is, above all, a springboard for hope and transformation.' –Isabella Tree, author of Wilding 'Do your imagination, your activism, your sense of what’s possible a favour, and swim in this book.' –Rob Hopkins, author of From What Is to What If In a time of uncertainty about our environmental future—an eye-opening global tour of some of the most wounded places on earth, and stories of how a passionate group of eco-restorers is leading the way to their revitalisation. Award-winning science journalist Judith D. Schwartz takes us first to China’s Loess Plateau, where a landmark project has successfully restored a blighted region the size of Belgium, lifting millions of people out of poverty. She journeys on to Norway, where a young indigenous reindeer herder challenges the most powerful orthodoxies of conservation—and his own government. And in the Middle East, she follows the visionary work of an ambitious young American as he attempts to re-engineer the desert ecosystem, using plants as his most sophisticated technology. Schwartz explores regenerative solutions across a range of landscapes: deserts, grasslands, tropics, tundra, Mediterranean. She also highlights various human landscapes, the legacy of colonialism and industrial agriculture, and the endurance of indigenous knowledge. The Reindeer Chronicles demonstrates how solutions to seemingly intractable problems can come from the unlikeliest of places, and how the restoration of local water, carbon, nutrient, and energy cycles can play a dramatic role in stabilizing the global climate. Ultimately, it reveals how much is in our hands if we can find a way to work together and follow nature’s lead.Trade ReviewShelf Awareness— “This book provides hope that devastated ecosystems can be revived, and that it requires doing more than just letting nature take its course. . . . Very much worth reading for anyone who cares about the state of the planet."Publishers Weekly— “In this worthwhile look at conservation, journalist Schwartz sheds light on a global and ‘growing cohort of scientists, mavericks, and young people’ engaged in the ‘participatory sport’ of land restoration.”"A lucid and compelling look at the global movement of ecological rehabilitation."—The Boston Globe“Thoughtful and thought-provoking, Judith Schwartz’s world tour of environmental solutions shows how nature itself can heal the wounds we have inflicted on our planet. Compelling, fascinating, sometimes unexpectedly moving, this vitally important book is, above all, a springboard for hope and transformation.”—Isabella Tree, author of Wilding“In The Reindeer Chronicles, Judith Schwartz proves, once again, that she is one of ecology’s most indispensable writers. Like her last two books, Cows Save the Planet and Water in Plain Sight, her new work is an insightful, globe-trotting exploration of promising techniques for restoring our soil, water, agricultural systems, and wildlife. The Reindeer Chronicles is at once visionary and pragmatic—clear-eyed about the immense planetary challenges we face, yet unfailingly hopeful about our ability to forge a new relationship with nature. This book shows us what Aldo Leopold’s land ethic looks like in the twenty-first century.”—Ben Goldfarb, PEN America Literary Award-winning author of Eager“This book shows us again and again, across the globe, the abundant future that is possible if we work with nature. Stunning stories of re-greening landscapes, restoring carbon and water cycles, and repairing weather. It is a balm and a guide, a wellspring of grounded hope.”—Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, PhD, founder of Urban Ocean Lab and of Ocean Collectiv“Judith Schwartz unlocks yet one more door in our minds about what’s possible when we work with nature’s cycles rather than try to push her around. Through this book and her prior ones, you can practically see, taste, and smell a healing earth that includes humans as stewards, not ravaging locusts. If you want practical hope, this is it. If you want a place to dig in and make change, regeneration is the key. These are stories of people who work both intimately and at scale—and with love—to restore life to the land we all walk on, our beautiful home, the earth.”—Vicki Robin, coauthor of Your Money or Your Life and author of Blessing the Hands that Feed Us“A tale of people restoring nature and their communities. These deeply optimistic dispatches from around the world show us that the key to restoring land is how we see it—the change begins in us.”—David R. Montgomery, author of Growing A Revolution“As the regenerative agriculture movement grows worldwide, Judith Schwartz has emerged as a leading tracker and interpreter of its progress, challenges, and wins. The value of Schwartz’s multifaceted work and engaging first-person style is that a broader and deeper canvas emerges. “Schwartz’s descriptions and analyses are not rosy-eyed, but instead comprise a balanced, warts-and-all approach mixed with extraordinary tales of transformation of vast and small ecosystems, landscapes and farms, societies and communities; of food systems; and of human physical and mental health. As she says, ‘earth repair is a participatory sport,’ and ‘restoration can begin anywhere.’ “This is an excellent read for expert and newcomer alike, and an important contribution to a growing canon now offering some of the very best solutions to the onrushing Anthropocene crisis.”—Charles Massy, author of Call of the Reed Warbler“These are times that call for us to reimagine everything. That imaginative capacity depends on the stories, the possibilities, the experiences we have in our memory and our ability to reassemble them in new and unique ways. If you want to be part of that reimagining, you need the beautiful, patient, humbling stories in these pages. Their implications are staggering, and also suggest that sometimes we save the world by doing less rather than more. Do your imagination, your activism, your sense of what’s possible a favor, and swim in this book.”—Rob Hopkins, author of From What Is to What If

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Book Synopsis'What Wales is doing today, the world will do tomorrow.' –Nikhil Seth, UN Assistant Secretary General ‘...the story of this revolutionary engine for change holds enormous possibility and is a true beacon of hope.’ –Michael Sheen OBE, actor and UNICEF ambassador The story of how one small nation responded to global climate issues by radically rethinking public policy for future generations In #futuregen, Jane Davidson explains how, as Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing in Wales, she proposed the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015—the first piece of legislation on Earth to place regenerative and sustainable practice at the heart of government. Unparalleled in its scope and vision, the Act connects environmental and social health and looks to solve complex issues such as poverty, education and unemployment. Davidson reveals how and why such groundbreaking legislation was forged in Wales—once reliant on its coal, iron and steel industries—and explores how the shift from economic growth to sustainable growth is creating new opportunities for communities and governments all over the world. #futuregen is the inspiring story of a small, pioneering nation discovering prosperity through its vast natural beauty, renewable energy resources and resilient communities. It’s a living, breathing prototype for local and global leaders as proof of what is possible in the fight for a sustainable future.Trade ReviewKirkus Reviews— 'Wales stands as a leader of sustainability. Davidson, the former minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing in Wales, among many other public roles, chronicles the complex, ultimately successful process by which the nation created the Well-being for Future Generations (Wales) Act, which became law in 2015. . . .A useful primer for environmental reform.'Foreword Reviews— 'Wales, though small, is a vanguard when it comes to integrating sustainable development via government policies and actions. The chief architect of its Well-Being of Future Generations Act, Jane Davidson, chronicles the law’s enactment in the lively #futuregen, which encompasses both her personal evaluations and the sweeping policy shift’s intriguing processes.'Booklist, Starred Review— 'A valuable insider primer for those hoping to enact equally sweeping green legislation in America and beyond.'‘Be inspired by this fascinating story of how Wales made into law the obligation for a country to pursue sustainable development on behalf of future generations.’–Gro Harlem Brundtland‘A truly pioneering Act that puts sustainability at the heart of every governmental decision combined with a country seeking to reimagine itself – the story of this revolutionary engine for change holds enormous possibility and is a true beacon of hope.’–Michael Sheen OBE, actor and UNICEF ambassador‘As the effects of climate change and ecological degradation become ever more apparent it is not despair that must drive us, but action. Jane Davidson’s wonderful #futuregen tells the inspiring story of how one country stepped up with just that – a groundbreaking new law to protect the interests of future generations. For those searching for hope, this is a must-read.’–Tony Juniper CBE, Environmentalist‘Once at the forefront of the industrial revolution, Wales now leads the world in the sustainability revolution. At the intersection of sustainability, economics, law, morality and politics, the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act enshrines the responsibility of a government to take care of its citizens, especially the vulnerable, and extends that responsibility to those who are the most vulnerable because they do not yet have a voice – the generations as yet unborn. In #futuregen, Jane Davidson, its chief architect, relates what inspired this groundbreaking Act and what impact it has had in the five years since it was passed. Politicians are not generally noted for their long-term, upstream thinking. Influenced by systems thinker Donella Meadows, Jane Davidson is an inspiring exception and has earned the gratitude of generations both future and current.’–Roz Savage MBE, ocean rower and sustainability advocate‘Please give this book to the sons and daughters of our leaders, then ask them to give it to their parents. Maybe they won’t make the change needed for the people who voted them in, but they might just do it for their children.’–David Hieatt, co-founder of Hiut Denim Co. and of The Do Lectures, author‘The very definition of sustainable development embodies the need to ensure the well-being of future generations and yet, until Wales in 2015 enacted its Well-being of Future Generations Act, no country had passed legislation to look ahead and give itself the ambition, permission and legal obligation to improve social, cultural, environmental and economic dimensions of well-being for current and future generations. Jane Davidson was a pioneer in pushing forward Wales’s pathbreaking Future Generations Act, blazing a trail for the rest of the world, and WWF was delighted and honoured to support her on that journey. Decision-makers everywhere should read her book to understand the importance of putting future generations at the heart of all they do and the actions needed to make that a reality.’–Pavan Sukhdev, President, WWF International

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis“This is a fascinating books for anyone wanting to truly broaden the range of plants they grow.” —Gardens Illustrated Moss is an extraordinary plant—it grows without roots, flowers, or stems. Despite being overlooked, in many ways, moss is perfect: it provides year-round color, excels in difficult climates, prevents soil erosion, and resists pests and disease. In The Magical World of Moss Gardening, bryophyte expert Annie Martin reveals how moss can be used in stunning, eco-friendly spaces. The beautifully illustrated guide includes basics on designing and planting a moss garden, and an inspiring tour of the most magical public and private moss gardens throughout the country.

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Book Synopsis“An inspiring reminder of the incredible resource that is our public lands.” —Brendan Leonard, author of The Camping Life and Surviving the Great Outdoors Across 193 million acres of forests, mountains, deserts, watersheds, and grasslands, national forests provide a multitude of uses as diverse as America itself. They welcome 170 million visitors each year to hike, bike, paddle, ski, fish, and hunt. But “the people’s lands” offer more than just recreation. Lost habitats are recovered, timber is harvested, and endangered wildlife is protected as part of the Forest Service’s enduring mission. In Our National Forests, Greg Peters gives an inside look at America’s most important public lands and the people committed to protecting them and ensuring access for all. From the Forest Service growing millions of seedlings in the West each year, to their efforts to save the hellbender salamander in Appalachia, the story spans the breadth of the country and its diverse ecology. And people are at the center, whether the dedicated Forest Service members or the everyday citizens who support and tend to the protected lands near their homes. This complete look at America’s national forests—their triumphs, challenges, controversies, and vital programs—is a must-read for everyone interested in the history of America's most important public lands.

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Book SynopsisClimate change, visualized. Climate change, shrinking wildlife habitats, rising sea levels, and vanishing species. These are big, important ideas that deserve a proper exploration—just the type of revealing journey you will experience in The Atlas of a Changing Climate. Ecologist Brian Buma helps us envision—both literally and figuratively—the history, present, and possible futures of the imperiled ecosystems directly influencing our lives. By presenting the forces driving Earth’s changes through illuminating maps, charts, and infographics, he proves the depth of our connectivity to our planet, revealing both the vulnerability—and hope—intrinsic in that link.

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Book SynopsisAfrican forests provide the focus for a growing body of historical research in Zimbabwe. This book draws on economic and environmental history approaches in exploring the exploitation and conservation of woodland, respectively. The main focus of the investigation is the consumption-conservation relationship between humans and the forest zone. Customary forest practice in the Zambezi teak or Baikiea woodland points towards a better understanding on the subject, informed by a wide range of sources; oral tradition, missionary records, travel accounts and colonial documents. British imperial interest in Zimbabwe accelerated in the mid-1880s motivated and accelerated by speculative mineral discoveries thought to rival the Witwatersrand gold mines in South Africa. The British South Africa Company colonised Zimbabwe in 1890 expecting to finding rich gold deposits and when these hopes were dashed, white settlers turned their interest to other resources, land and forests. The rapidity with which the BSAC surveyed forest resources was testament to their expected commercial value. The mkusi and other commercial species motivated the government to gazette and establish eight state forest reserves in North-Western Matabeleland with a combined total of 1.6 million acres. In the company era, timber merchants exploited gusu with little or no control and their activities resulted in much deforestation. When European farmers and miners established commercial farms and mines in colonial Zimbabwe, the latter received preferential treatment in timber and energy requirements from the government because they contributed the bulk of state revenue. This policy was a source of protracted conflict between miners and farmers over forest exploitation. However, the state also sought to orient settler farmers towards the production of export crops: tobacco, maize and cotton. The two major pillars of the colonial economy, mining and agriculture, directly caused a fundamental transformation in soil and forest use, leading to deforestation and soil erosion. Soil erosion was a major risk that was faced along with the logistic and financial difficulties of pioneer farming. It however highlighted the negative impact of settler farming, particularly the perennial cultivation of the same crop on the same field, notably tobacco and maize. Land was used for short-term economic gain. What was missing was a willingness on the part of the settler society to deal effectively with the problems of deforestation and erosion, and the need for radical change in individual and collective attitudes towards natural resources.

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Book SynopsisLandscape-the unique combination of landforms, plants, animals, and weather that compose any natural place-is inherently transient. Each essay in Transient Landscapes introduces this idea of a constantly metamorphosing global landscape, revealing how to see the ubiquity of landscape transience, both that which results through Earth's natural environmental and climatological processes and that which comes from human intervention. The essays are grouped by type of environmental change: long-term, large-scale transformation driven by geologic forces such as tectonic uplift and volcanism; natural variability at shorter time scales, such as seasonal flooding; and modifications resulting from human activities, such as timber harvest, land drainage, and pollution. Each essay is set in a unique geographic location-including such diverse places as New Zealand, Northern California, Costa Rica, and the Scottish Highlands-and is largely drawn from Wohl's personal experience researching in the field. A combination of travel writing, nature writing, and science writing, Transient Landscapes is a beautiful and thoughtful journey through the natural world.

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Book SynopsisField Guide to the Lichens of White Rocks is a careful examination of the lichens that occur at the ecologically important and lichenologically rich urban outcropping of Fox Hills sandstone known as White Rocks Nature Preserve, located in Boulder County, Colorado. This extensively illustrated field guide presents detailed information on the macroscopic and microscopic features needed to identify species, as well as extensive notes on how to differentiate closely related lichens-both those present at White Rocks and those likely to be found elsewhere in western North America. This guide is one of the only complete lichen inventories of a sandstone formation in North America and covers all constituents including the crustose microlichen biota, traditionally excluded from other inventories. A short introduction and glossary equip the reader with basic information on lichen morphology, reproduction, and ecology. Visitors to White Rocks Nature Preserve must schedule staff-led public tours or set up sponsored research projects through the City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, and there are many other outcroppings of Fox Hills sandstone across the West, making Field Guide to the Lichens of White Rocks a significant resource for anyone interested in this unique environment. This accessible, user-friendly guide will also be valuable to naturalists and lichenologists around the world as well as educators, conservationists, and land managers concerned with the growing significance of open spaces and other protected urban areas throughout North America. The University Press of Colorado gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the University of Colorado Natural History Museum, City of Boulder Parks & Open Spaces, and the Colorado Native Plant Society board and members toward the publication of this book.

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