Island Environments in a Changing World

This book offers an overview of the natural and human history of island environments from early settlement to current challenges in island management.

Lawrence R. Walker (Author), Peter Bellingham (Author)

9780521732475, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 24 March 2011

338 pages, 146 b/w illus. 11 tables
22.9 x 15.3 x 1.6 cm, 0.57 kg

'An ample glossary … and helpful index (nearly 1,400 entries) make this work accessible to even the most inexperienced mainlander. Recommended.' G. C. Stevens, Choice

Islands represent unique opportunities to examine human interaction with the natural environment. They capture the human imagination as remote, vulnerable and exotic, yet there is comparatively little understanding of their basic geology, geography, or the impact of island colonization by plants, animals and humans. This detailed study of island environments focuses on nine island groups, including Hawaii, New Zealand and the British Isles, exploring their differing geology, geography, climate and soils, as well as the varying effects of human actions. It illustrates the natural and anthropogenic disturbances common to island groups, all of which face an uncertain future clouded by extinctions of endemic flora and fauna, growing populations of invasive species, and burgeoning resident and tourist populations. Examining the natural and human history of each island group from early settlement onwards, the book provides a critique of the concept of sustainable growth and offers realistic guidelines for future island management.

Preface
1. Introduction to island environments and cultures
2. The physical setting
3. Natural disturbances on islands
4. The plants and animals of islands
5. Human dispersal, colonization, and early environmental impacts
6. Intensifying human impacts on islands
7. Islands in the modern world: 1950–2000
8. The future of island ecosystems: remoteness lost
Glossary
Index.

Subject Areas: Conservation of the environment [RNK], Environmental management [RNF]