The Himalayas have experienced a population explosion which has stripped the mountain forests, causing erosion, landslides, and massive damage downstream in the Ganges plain . . . or so it is claimed by the dubious Theory of Himalayan Environmental Degradation. In this book, renowned authorities Jack D. Ives and Bruno Messerli dissect and dismember the theory, showing how its mistaken assumptions have misguided development policy and foreign aid for decades. They challenge received notions of the causes and effects of deforestation, and argue that mountain subsistence farmers, far from being a source of the region's problems, are in fact an integral part of the solution.

Originally published in 1974, Arctic and Alpine Environments examines, the relatively simple ecosystems of arctic and alpine lands that still occupy extensive areas little disturbed by modern technology. The book argues that there is a necessity for carefully controlled development of the resources of these regions and suggests that there is a risk of irreversible disturbance without full understanding of these regions. This book provides a detailed documentation of cold-stressed arctic and alpine terrestrial environments and systematically deals with the present and past physical environment - climate, hydrology and glaciology; biota - treeline, vegetation, vertebrate zoology, and historical biogeography; abiotic processes - geomorphological and pedological and the role of man - bioclimatology, archaeology and technological impact, including radioecology. The book will appeal to academics and students of environmental and biological science, as well as providing a significant source for conservationists', government agencies and industrial organizations.

Originally published in 2000, The Arctic provides a comprehensive overview of the region's rapidly changing physical and human dimensions, and demonstrates the importance of communication between natural scientists, social scientists, and local stakeholders in response to the tremendous challenges and opportunities facing the Arctic. It is an essential resource for all Arctic researchers, particularly those developing multidisciplinary projects. It provides an overview of key areas of Arctic research by renowned specialists in the field, and each chapter forms a detailed, varied and accessible account of current knowledge. Each author introduces the subject to a specialist readership, while retaining intellectual integrity and relevance for specialists. Overall, the richness of the material presented in this volume reflects the ecological and cultural diversity of this vast and environmentally critical part of the globe.

Originally published in 1974, Arctic and Alpine Environments examines, the relatively simple ecosystems of arctic and alpine lands that still occupy extensive areas little disturbed by modern technology. The book argues that there is a necessity for carefully controlled development of the resources of these regions and suggests that there is a risk of irreversible disturbance without full understanding of these regions. This book provides a detailed documentation of cold-stressed arctic and alpine terrestrial environments and systematically deals with the present and past physical environment - climate, hydrology and glaciology; biota - treeline, vegetation, vertebrate zoology, and historical biogeography; abiotic processes - geomorphological and pedological and the role of man - bioclimatology, archaeology and technological impact, including radioecology. The book will appeal to academics and students of environmental and biological science, as well as providing a significant source for conservationists', government agencies and industrial organizations.

Originally published in 2000, The Arctic provides a comprehensive overview of the region's rapidly changing physical and human dimensions, and demonstrates the importance of communication between natural scientists, social scientists, and local stakeholders in response to the tremendous challenges and opportunities facing the Arctic. It is an essential resource for all Arctic researchers, particularly those developing multidisciplinary projects. It provides an overview of key areas of Arctic research by renowned specialists in the field, and each chapter forms a detailed, varied and accessible account of current knowledge. Each author introduces the subject to a specialist readership, while retaining intellectual integrity and relevance for specialists. Overall, the richness of the material presented in this volume reflects the ecological and cultural diversity of this vast and environmentally critical part of the globe.

`This is an important book that deserves to be read by everyone concerned with presenting major environmental issues.' Geography ` ... an essential text for policy makers and aid professionals, as well as for students of environmental studies and international development ... It is indeed, a book appropriate to the urgent and critical issues which it addresses.' - Journal of Environmental Management

A geographer with extensive research experience in the Canadian North, Jack D. Ives has written a lively and informative account of several expeditions to Baffin Island during the "golden age" of federal research. In the 1960s, scientists from the Geographical Branch of Canada's Department of Energy, Mines, and Resources travelled to Baffin to study glacial geomorphology and glaciology. Their fieldwork resulted in vastly increased knowledge of the Far North-from its ice caps and glaciers to its lichens and microfossils. Drawing from the recollections of his Baffin colleagues as well as from his own memories, Ives takes readers on a remarkable adventure, describing the day-to-day experiences of the field teams in the context of both contemporary Arctic research and bureaucratic decision making. Along the way, his narrative illustrates the role played by the Cold War-era Distant Early Warning Line and other northern infrastructure, the crucial importance of his pioneering aerial photography, the unpredictable nature of planes, helicopters, and radios in Arctic regions, and of course, the vast and breathtaking scenery of the North. Baffin Island encompasses both field research and High Arctic adventure. The research trips to Baffin between 1961 and 1967 also served as a vital training ground in polar studies for university students; further, they represented a breakthrough in gender equality in government-sponsored science, thanks to the author's persistence in having women permitted on the teams. The book contains a special section detailing the subsequent professional achievements of the many researchers involved (in addition to the later career moves of Ives himself) and a chapter that delves deeper into the science behind their fieldwork in the North. Readers need not be versed in glaciology, however. Ives has produced a highly readable book that seamlessly combines research and adventure.