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Some books reviewed in our book review section are available through Amazon.com. To make your purchase easier we have included a link when available. When you purchase a book through this service on our website Conservation In Practice receives a portion of the purchase price. | |
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Conservation Medicine: Ecological Health in Practice Edited by A. Alonso Aguirre, Richard S. Ostfeld, Gary M. Tabor, Carol House, and Mary C. Pearl Oxford University Press, 2002 Reviewed by Kathleen Snow In 1999, seven New York residents died of West Nile encephalitis, a disease that had never been seen before on this continent. The virus has since spread rapidly among bird populations. The mosquito vector of this and other diseases benefits from periods of warm winters followed by dry summers—a pattern that is predicted to increase with global warming. Toxic pollution, deforestation, eco-tourism, and global trade also change the dynamics of disease for all species. Enter conservation medicine, a new discipline that sits at the crossroads of public health and ecology. This book, one of the first textbooks in this emerging field, grew out of an international conference held in 1999. It provides a broad introduction, covering such topics as emerging infectious diseases and their causes, monitoring of ecological health in marine and terrestrial systems, the impacts of global climate change on pathogens, and a section of case studies. The well documented text offers much food for thought and does not shy away from raising difficult issues such as the conservation of parasites. Written by a variety of authors, the book suffers from some repetition, and its readability is slowed by the use of acronyms and medical terminology. The neutral, academic language tends to downplay the frightening implications of much of the data. Nevertheless, the importance of the topic makes the book a key introductory text for professionals and students in both health sciences and environmental disciplines. Back to Books Index >> |
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The Historical Ecology Handbook: A Restorationist's Guide to Reference Ecosystems Edited by Dave Egan and Evelyn Howell Island Press, 2001 Reviewed by Kathleen Snow The great Zen master Shunryu Suzuki was once asked to summarize an entire lecture in one sentence. His reputed reply, “Everything changes,” could well be the mantra of the ecological restorationist. Not only do ecosystems change, they may not leave a clear record of their previous condition for us to compare. This handbook introduces a variety of tools for exploring the past to develop a picture not only of what needs to be restored, but “why it was lost and how best to make it live again.” The editors provide a good introduction to the basic concepts of reference ecosystems and the historic range of variability. What sets this handbook apart, however, is its presentation of tools drawn from such diverse fields such as geography, archeology, paleontology, and history. Photographs, oral histories, maps, diaries, and even paintings can be used to provide clues to the landscape of the past. The first section of the book, on cultural evidence, offers practical advice on where to find such resources and how to interpret them. A second section, on biological evidence, explores the uses of techniques such as pollen cores, packrat middens, and tree-ring data. Four case studies conclude the book, providing examples of using historical resources in restoration projects. Although not everyone will need or be able to use all these tools, this volume is a useful overview of what information may be available from unexpected sources. Back to Books Index >> |
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Water Follies: Groundwater Pumping and the Fate of America's Fresh Waters By Robert Jerome Glennon Island Press, 2002 Reviewed by Kathleen Snow Almost 28 trillion gallons of water are pumped from the ground annually in the U.S. This constitutes more than 25 percent of the nation’s water supply and has caused severe changes in rivers, lakes, and wetlands—and yet no previous books have focused on the environmental impacts of groundwater extraction. Glennon, a professor of law and public policy, takes on this major issue in a well crafted series of intriguing case studies. A sample chapter opens with the startling information that “the typical American consumes thirty pounds of French fries a year, a 700-percent increase since the 1950s. . .” What on earth can this have to do with groundwater? you ask yourself. He proceeds to tell you, unfolding the story of the McDonald’s French fry and the shift of potato growers from dry land to irrigation farming with all its ecological consequences to aquifers, rivers and wildlife. Glennon’s chapters cover the country from Maine to Florida to the arid southwest, providing mini-histories packed with detail. This is an advocate’s book: although it provides a good overview of the hydrology and biology of groundwater in the first chapters, its true focus and strength lie in Glennon’s documentation of the legal, economic, and political complexities of water issues. He concludes his 12 case studies with a good, if depressing, summary of the current problems, but he also provides a list of legal and economic reforms that could help resolve future groundwater crises. Even if you are not working with water issues, you should read this book for a wider awareness of the depth and importance of groundwater impacts, right down to the bottle of water you are probably drinking right now. Back to Books Index >> |
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Hunter and Hunted: Relationships Between Carnivores and People By Hans Kruuk Cambridge University Press, 2002 Reviewed by Kathleen Snow Have you ever wondered why, given longstanding human fears of predators such as tigers and wolves, we choose overwhelmingly to let representatives of these two major families into our homes as pets? The population of cats and dogs in Britain alone tops 13.8 million and figures from the U.S. are similar. Why carnivores? In this engaging volume, zoologist Hans Kruuk examines this and other facets of our long and ambivalent relationship with the Carnivora. Carnivore social systems, hunting behavior, predation on man and his livestock, and the human use of carnivores are all treated in a pleasant, personal style. Unlike many other natural histories, however, Kruuk broadens our picture of the human side of the relationship through the exploration of animals in art, heraldry, and literature—and as pets. Written in nontechnical language and illustrated with line drawings, this book will provide pleasurable and informative reading not only for biologists but also for anyone with an interest in and love of animals.
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