From the Yangtze to the Yellow River, China is traversed by great waterways, which have defined its politics and ways of life for centuries. Water has been so integral to China’s culture, economy, and growth and development that it provides a window on the whole sweep of Chinese history. In The Water Kingdom, renowned writer Philip Ball opens that window to offer an epic and powerful new way of thinking about Chinese civilization. Water, Ball shows, is a key that unlocks much of Chinese culture. In The Water Kingdom, he takes us on a grand journey through China’s past and present, showing how the complexity and energy of the country and its history repeatedly come back to the challenges, opportunities, and inspiration provided by the waterways. Drawing on stories from travelers and explorers, poets and painters, bureaucrats and activists, all of whom have been influenced by an environment shaped and permeated by water, Ball explores how the ubiquitous relationship of the Chinese people to water has made it an enduring metaphor for philosophical thought and artistic expression. From the Han emperors to Mao, the ability to manage the waters ? to provide irrigation and defend against floods ? was a barometer of political legitimacy, often resulting in engineering works on a gigantic scale. It is a struggle that continues today, as the strain of economic growth on water resources may be the greatest threat to China’s future. The Water Kingdom offers an unusual and fascinating history, uncovering just how much of China’s art, politics, and outlook have been defined by the links between humanity and nature.

This is one of the first four in a new series of fabulously illustrated natural history travel guides, intended for the general reader with an interest in natural history, and for the growing numbers of 'ecotourists' who want to know where to see wildlife in the countries they visit. Thebooks are designed to complement each other and to build into a nature library, together giving an introduction to the natural history of Europe.Britain's compact scale belies the diversity of its landscapes - from sea-cliffs and rocky offshore islands, to the massifs of the Scottish Highlands, the low fenland of East Anglia, and the gentle wooded coombes of the south-west. This fabulously illustrated new travel guide describes hundreds ofplaces where these landscapes and their inhabitants can be seen at their best, all in easy reach of the discerning traveller.Essentially practical, the book first introduces the ecology, geology, and wildlife of Britain, then goes on to describe where to see its natural history at its best. There are descriptions of a selection of some 200 sites to visit, each carefully chosen to show a range of habitats and fascinatingwildlife. The entries are the personal choice of the authors and are based on intensive travel and research in the region. Described sites range in size from a few to thousands of hectares, be they National Parks, nature reserves, or simply common land, but all are open to the public and accessibleto the ordinary visitor. Four colour throughout, this book has stunning landscape photographs, line drawings and photographs of individual animals of plants and animals, colour region and site maps, and a splendid composite painting encapsulating typical habitats and their inhabitants.

Deforestation of Scotland began millennia ago and by the early 20th century woodland cover was down to about 6 per cent of the total land area. A century later woodland cover had tripled. Most of the newly established forestry plantations were created on elevated land with wet peaty soils and high wind exposure, not exactly the condition in which forests naturally thrive. Jan Oosthoek tells in this book the story of how 20th century foresters devised ways to successfully reforest the poor Scottish uplands, land that was regarded as unplantable, to fulfil the mandate they had received from the Government and wider society to create a timber reserve. He raises the question whether the adopted forestry practice was the only viable means to create forests in the Scottish Highlands by examining debates within the forestry community about the appearance of the forests and their longterm ecological prospects. Finally, the book argues that the long held ecological convictions among foresters and pressure from environmentalists came together in the late 20th century to create more environmentally sensitive forestry.

In this book, an ornithologist and a forester have combined their skills to try and tease out the real facts behind the various arguments on forestry. The conflict between forestry and nature conservation has become a major environmental issue in Britain in the 1980s. The planting of large tracts of land with exotic conifers and the resulting disturbance of existing plant and animal communities has polarized the debate, each camp believing that it has the most rational view. But the interactions involved are complex. Which bird species are really threatened? How can we judge the relative value of bird species ousted by plantations and the new species which colonize them? How can the need for forest products be reconciled with the demands of conservationists? This fascinating book tackles these issues in a forthright manner. It represents a significant step towards achieving the sort of prudent land planning that will really improve our beleaguered countryside. Jacket painting by Philip Snow. Foreword by David Bellamy.

Devoted to birds and wildlife since childhood, Mark’s early scientific research at Oxford, Aberdeen and the RSPB provided a solid background for his management, ambassadorial, and political lobbying activities which were to follow – and his larger than life, yet quietly humane personality has provided the final tools in his own, unique, nature conservationists’ toolbox. In this book, Mark mixes a great many stories from his professional life at the RSPB with personal anecdotes and passionate arguments on past and present issues in bird and nature conservation. He shows us something of the many scientists whose work paves the way for conservation action, places domestic conservation into an international context, takes us behind the scenes to glimpse the politicians who have worked with him, or against him, along the way. Mark leaves us armed with practical tips and a guiding philosophy to take wildlife conservation though the troubled years that lie ahead. A personal, philosophical and political history of 25 years of bird conservation, this book provides an instructive and amusing read for all those who would like a glimpse into the birds and wildlife conservation world – what the issues are, what must be done, how it can be done, and the challenges, highs and lows involved.

It seems that forests have never been more in the news than they are today. The part played by the tropical forests in sustaining the world's climate is well understood, but they are in drastic decline. Our own prehistoric forest was mostly destroyed thousands of years ago to make way for farming. Only since the First World War have practical measures been taken to reverse this trend of decline, and a century of tree planting has more than doubled Britain's forest cover. Most of the early thinking on tree planting in Britain was about boosting timber production in the aftermath the two World Wars, when submarine blockades froze out imports. But times have changed. Planting today is inspired not just by the need for timber, but by environmental and social initiatives that are working to strengthen the partnership between people and nature. David Foot reveals the story of twentieth-century forest creation, and the Eureka moment in the 1980s that challenged foresters and conservationists to work together on new ideas.