In this illustrated ecological history, acclaimed scientist and historian Flannery follows the environment of the islands through the age of dinosaurs to the age of mammals and the arrival of humans, to the European colonizers and industrial society. Penetrating, gripping, and provocative, this book combines natural history, anthropology, and ecology on an epic scale. Illustrations.

The central theme of this text is that the introduction of agricultural and pastoral systems in Australia's temperate grazing lands has often created dynamic and sustaining ecosystems. The author argues that while these ecosystems are not native, and while they are not problem-free, they have made an immense contribution to the building of the country - largely in terms of increased soil fertility. This has been done by adding trace elements, superphosphate and legumes, thereby developing a new ecosystem, probably just as self-sustaining as the one it replaced.

Whilst there are popular ideas about which champion Aboriginal environmental knowledge, many of these are based more on romantic notions than on any detailed understanding of what might be the content of this knowledge. This book is based on a grounded and broad assessment of less well known details of Aboriginal knowledge and provides both a great deal of detail and a new assessment of rituals and practices. Aboriginal environmental knowledge is examined here as an integrated source of both religious and scientific knowledge. An important finding is that Aboriginal environmental knowledge also includes knowledge about education for attitudes considered appropriate for survival. Though evidence for this is readily available in the literature, it has not been part of current depictions of Aboriginal environmental knowledge.

For two decades, paleoecologist David Burney and his wife, Lida Pigott Burney, have led an excavation of Makauwahi Cave on the island of Kaua‘i, uncovering the fascinating variety of plants and animals that have inhabited Hawaii throughout its history. From the unique perspective of paleoecology—the study of ancient environments—Burney has focused his investigations on the dramatic ecological changes that began after the arrival of humans one thousand years ago, detailing not only the environmental degradation they introduced but also asking how and why this destruction occurred and, most significantly, what might happen in the future. Using Kaua‘i as an ecological prototype and drawing on the author’s adventures in Madagascar, Mauritius, and other exciting locales, Burney examines highly pertinent theories about current threats to endangered species, restoration of ecosystems, and how people can work together to repair environmental damage elsewhere on the planet. Intriguing illustrations, including a reconstruction of the ancient ecological landscape of Kaua‘i by the artist Julian Hume, offer an engaging window into the ecological marvels of another time. A fascinating adventure story of one man’s life in paleoecology, Back to the Future in the Caves of Kaua‘i reveals the excitement—and occasional frustrations—of a career spent exploring what the past can tell us about the future.

Annotation. "In keeping with Cocks's willingness and capacity to tackle big issues, Future Makers, Future Takers seeks to identify, detail and compare the broad socio-political philosophies and bundles of policies that comprise Australia's realistic choices for guiding Timeship Australia through the coming turbulent decades. Cocks suspends his own judgment as he even-handedly and comprehensively presents three proactive strategies for managing Australia's future, which he calls Conservative Development, Economic Growth and Post-Materialism."--BOOK JACKET. Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

From one of Australia's foremost thinkers, a uniquely broad-ranging 1997 collection of essays on landscape.

Until about 13,000 years ago, North America was home to a menagerie of massive mammals. Mammoths, camels, and lions walked the ground that has become Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles and foraged on the marsh land now buried beneath Chicago's streets. Then, just as the first humans reached the Americas, these Ice Age giants vanished forever. In Once and Future Giants, science writer Sharon Levy digs through the evidence surrounding Pleistocene large animal ("megafauna") extinction events worldwide, showing that understanding this history--and our part in it--is crucial for protecting the elephants, polar bears, and other great creatures at risk today. These surviving relatives of the Ice Age beasts now face the threat of another great die-off, as our species usurps the planet's last wild places while driving a warming trend more extreme than any in mammalian history. Deftly navigating competing theories and emerging evidence, Once and Future Giants examines the extent of human influence on megafauna extinctions past and present, and explores innovative conservation efforts around the globe. The key to modern-day conservation, Levy suggests, may lie fossilized right under our feet.

Coordinating our use of the earth's natural resources is not easy. Resource users are many, their goals diverse, and their impacts on the environment often uncertain. How we use those resources depends on the signals and incentives we receive, from either the market or our governments. These systems encourage certain uses of natural resources, but they are not perfect. We harm the environment not out of malice, but because we do not know the consequences of our actions, or the incentives for harm are too great to ignore. Economics and the Environment argues that, by lowering the cost and improving the quality of the necessary signals and incentives, we can better reconcile our diverse interests in the environment. It introduces an economic way of thinking about environmental issues, without assuming a background in economics: * how the economy and the environment interact * how resource use is coordinated in ideal market and planned economies * the barriers to ideal signalling and incentives in real markets and real government planning * the economist's tools for dealing with natural resource issues * the uncertainty and complexity of environmental issues: climate change, water rights, air pollution and overharvesting of common resources. This second edition of Economics and the Environment is fully updated and includes new material on sustainability, valuation of environmental changes, the prospects for international cooperation under the Kyoto Protocol and the problems of defining and enforcing measures to protect biodiversity. It offers students in both economics and environmental studies programs a coherent framework for understanding our major environmental problems. 'Ian Wills succeeds in providing a fresh perspective . . . a very interesting and informative textbook.' Economic Record

HOLINESS ISN'T JUST WHAT YOU SEE ON SUNDAYS. “I see you over there worshiping but, you know, you’re going to have to get that piercing out of your eyebrow.” —CHURCHGOER The Bible says God looks at the heart (1 Sam. 16:7) and we are called to do the same. But there are still Christians who look at the piercings, clothes, and tattoos of people before even looking at their hearts. Not only do their relationships suffer, but their churches do too, as attendance declines and a culture of appearance-based morality creeps in. Apostle Matthew L. Stevenson III exposes the traditions that root us in religiosity and prevent us from spreading the good news. Learn how to: Avoid judging others based on their appearances Extend the grace God has so richly extended to us Recognize the difference between judgment and discernment Demonstrate the Gospel in a way that draws others to Jesus Known for reaching people from all walks of life, Stevenson dives into the Word of God and unpacks what it really means to be holy.

Introduction to Sustainable Development is a component of Encyclopedia of Development and Economic Sciences in the global Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), which is an integrated compendium of twenty one Encyclopedias. The Theme on “Introduction to Sustainable Development implies processes of fundamental change in our social systems and institutions. The thrust of this change [entails] … addressing the … new global awareness that the earth is finite, and all of the planet's life support systems – including social and economic systems – are globally interconnected and interdependent.” This volume is aimed at the following five major target audiences: University and College students Educators, Professional practitioners, Research personnel and Policy analysts, managers, and decision makers and NGOs.