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Books > Earth & environment > Geography > Physical geography
Over the last five centuries, North-East England's River Tyne went
largely with the flow as it rode with us on a rollercoaster from
technologically limited early modern oligarchy, to large-scale
Victorian 'improvement', to twentieth-century deoxygenation and to
twenty-first-century efforts to expand the river's biodiversity. By
studying five centuries of Tyne conservatorship, we can see that
1855 to 1972 was a blip on the graph of environmental concern,
preceded and followed by more sustainable engagement and a fairer
negotiation with the river's forces and expressions as a whole and
natural system, albeit driven by different motivations. Even during
this blip, however, many people expressed environmental concern.
Several organisations, including the Tyne Salmon Conservancy
(1866-1950), local governors, the Tyne's anglers and the Standing
Committee on River Pollution's Tyne Sub-Committee (1921-1939),
tried to protect the river's environmental health from harm, as
they perceived it. This Tyne study offers a template for a future
body of work on British rivers that shakes off the straitjacket of
the Thames as the river of choice in British environmental history.
And it undermines traditional socio-cultural approaches which
reduce rivers to passive backdrops of human activities. Departing
from progressive narratives that equated change with improvement,
and declensionist narratives that equated change with loss and
destruction, it moves away from morally loaded notions of better or
worse, and even dead, rivers. This book refocuses on the production
of new and different rivers and fully situates the Tyne's fluvial
transformations within their political, economic, cultural, social
and intellectual contexts. Let us sit with the Tyne itself, some of
its salmon, a seventeenth-century Tyne River Court Juror, some
nineteenth-century Tyne Improvement Commissioners, a 1920s
biologist, a twentieth-century Tyne angler, shipbuilder and council
planner and some twenty-first-century Tyne Rivers Trust volunteers.
What would they disagree about? Would they agree on anything? How
would they explain their conceptualisation of what the river is for
and how it should be used and regulated? This book takes you to the
heart of such virtual debates to revive, reconnect and reinvigorate
the severed bonds and flows linking riparian places, issues and
people across five centuries. By analysing the Tyne's past
conservatorships, we can objectify ourselves through our
descendants' eyes, reconnecting us not only to our past, but also
to our future.
This open access book presents a nuanced and accessible synthesis
of the relationship between land tenure security and sustainable
development. Contributing authors have collectively worked for
decades on land tenure as connected with conservation and
development across all major regions of the globe. The first
section of this volume is intended as a standalone primer on land
tenure security and its connections with sustainable development.
The book then explores key thematic challenges that interact
directly with land tenure security, followed by a section on
strategies for addressing tenure insecurity. The book concludes
with a section on new frontiers in research, policy, and action. An
invaluable reference for researchers in the field and for
practitioners looking for a comprehensive overview of this
important topic. This is an open access book.
Marine Paleobiodiversity presents a concise history, development
and current status of paleobiodiversity research, thus forming a
reference work for beginners, graduates and postgraduates, who are
interested in this subject and intend venture into serious
research. This book provides a link-reference between text book and
highly-specialized journal articles, and so will be valuable for a
wide audience of geologists and climatologists.
Prosopis describes the enormous historical importance of these
trees as a human food source and reviews the contemporary food
science of the fruit derived from these trees. As well, this
treatise reviews the native genetic resources of this genus on 4
continents and classical genetic and horticultural techniques that
could help stabilize the environment and alleviate human suffering
on some of the world's most destitute agro-ecosystems. This book is
an essential read for researchers interested in forestry and plant
science, environmental science, and functional foods. The legume
family (Fabaceae) contains many genera and species that through
their nitrogen fixing process provide high protein food and feed
for humans and animals. As evidenced by its presence in Death
Valley, California, which holds the record for the highest
temperatures in the world, these types of plants can thrive in
extreme environments.
From the icy oceans of our poles to remote coral islands, David Attenborough has filmed in every ocean habitat on planet earth. Now, with long-term collaborator Colin Butfield, he shares the story of our last great, critical wilderness, and the one which shapes the land we live on, regulates our climate and creates the air we breathe.
Through one hundred years, eight unique ocean habitats, countless intriguing species - and through personal stories, history and cutting-edge science - Ocean uncovers the mystery, the wonder and the frailty of the most unexplored habitat on our planet. And it shows its remarkable resilience: it is the part of our world that can, and in some cases has, recovered the fastest, and in our lifetimes we could see a fully restored marine world, even richer and more spectacular than we could possibly hope, if we act now.
It is a book almost a century in the making, but one that has never been more urgently needed.
In 1909, while dreaming of the Himalaya, Norwegian mountaineer Alf
Bonnevie Bryn and a fellow young climber, the Australian George
Ingle Finch, set their sights on Corsica to build their experience.
The events of this memorable trip form the basis of Bryn's
acclaimed book Tinder og banditter - 'Peaks and Bandits', with
their boisterous exploits delighting Norwegian readers for
generations. Newly translated by Bibbi Lee, this classic of
Norwegian literature is available for the first time in English.
Although Bryn would go on to become a respected mountaineer and
author, and Finch would become regarded as one of the greatest
mountaineers of all time - a legend of the 1922 Everest expedition
- Peaks and Bandits captures them on the cusp of these
achievements: simply two students taking advantage of their Easter
holidays, their escapades driven by their passion for climbing. As
they find themselves in unexpected and often strange places, Bryn's
sharp and jubilant narrative epitomises travel writing at its best.
Balancing its wit with fascinating insight into life in early
twentieth-century Corsica, the infectious enthusiasm of Bryn's
narrative has cemented it as one of Norway's most treasured
adventure books. Peaks and Bandits embodies the timeless joy of
adventure.
Colonial Geography charts changes in conceptions of the
relationship between people and landscapes in mainland Tanzania
during the German colonial period. In German minds, colonial
development would depend on the relationship between East Africans
and the landscape. Colonial Geography argues that the most
important element in German imperialism was not its violence but
its attempts to apply racial thinking to the mastery and control of
space. Utilizing approaches drawn from critical geography, the book
argues that the development of a representational space of empire
had serious consequences for German colonialism and the population
of East Africa. Colonial Geography shows how spatial thinking
shaped ideas about race and empire in the period of New
Imperialism.
This comprehensive guide to wetland weeds covers both native and
introduced species, ranging from minor or localized environmental
problems to those that should not be tolerated in any situation.
The author takes a pragmatic approach to weed control, recognizing
that some weeds may not be possible to eradicate, and emphasizing
the need to assess the extent and future potential of any
infestation before taking action. Weed control should be planned in
the context of the overall management goals for any type of
wetland, the types of habitat weeds provide or overrun, and whether
they can be replaced successfully with more appropriate plants. A
range of strategies for controlling wetland weeds are considered.
More than 130 species of established weeds are included with
information on their origins, nutrient responses, environmental
effects, habitat values, prospects for containment or eradication,
and even culinary uses. Other sections look at native plants as
weeds, including a number of species of uncertain origins, and
potential weeds still being legally sold. KEY FEATURES * Contains a
comprehensive compendium of over 130 weeds with full color
photographs * Considers a wide range of strategies for controlling
wetland weeds, including biological control and prevention * Covers
introduced as well as native weed species * Takes a pragmatic
approach to managing weeds depending on the threat they pose to the
environment
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