Explore the uncharted Amazon with acclaimed botanist and pioneering Amazonian explorer, Richard Evans Schultes, guided by an intimate narrative that supplements his photography of indigenous tribes, hallucinogenic plants, stunning vistas, and much more.

This book had its origins in the many natural disasters that seemed to be increasing in number and intensity in recent years. An ever-increasing loss of life, spiraling economic costs and losses, and a lack of national, coordinated recognition and understanding of the dangers these natural disasters foretold were evident. Additional concerns included a political attitude that ignored the realities of the dire future impacts of climate change. Priority for short-term issues which has taken precedence over the need for long-term policies, including financing, that address the needed changes were evident. Many of the requirements and procedures necessary for these changes will require attitudinal and behavioral changes. These will necessitate taking care of our oceans. Changes in land use will most likely need the migration of large segments of our population and will not be popular. Although many of the changes will not be happily received and will require significant funding allocations, the alternatives to not taking action are far worse. Natural disasters of worse magnitude than we have experienced will continue to occur, and the cascading effects will be beyond imagination. An approach to preparation that involves planning and funding outside of political control, involving local, state, regional, and national involvement is necessary. Cadres of high school graduates and college-age students who are willing to serve a one-to two-year service program could provide a ready force to assist in dealing with the planning of pre-event needs and helping with dealing with the aftermath of disasters should be implemented.

In this engaging book, Stephen Nugent offers an in-depth historical anthropology of a widely recognised feature of the Amazon region, examining the dramatic rise and fall of the rubber industry. He considers rubber in the Amazon from the perspective of a long-term extractive industry that linked remote forest tappers to technical innovations central to the industrial transformation of Europe and North America, emphasizing the links between the social landscape of Amazonia and the global economy. Through a critical examination focused on the rubber industry, Nugent addresses myths that continue to influence perceptions of Amazonia. The book challenges widely held assumptions about the hyper-naturalism of the ‘lost world’ of the Amazon where ‘the challenge of the tropics’ is still to be faced and the ‘frontiers of development’ are still to be settled. It is relevant for students and scholars of anthropology, Latin American studies, history, political ecology, geography and development studies.

Strange tropical diseases can wipe out entire communities and morph into worldwide epidemics. You are a young doctor specialising in dealing with such threats. Now you face a journey into the heart of the Amazon jungle where your medical team has mysteriously disappeared in the search for a cure. You must open your heart and mind; the Amazon does not yield its treasures easily. Possible endings: 28 Kilometres of river to travel: 24,000 Days since your friends were last seen: 6 Dangerous animal encounters: 12 Poisoned arrows: 4 Witch doctors: 1

Green growth has proven to be politically popular, but economically elusive. Can Green Sustain Growth? asks how we can move from theoretical support to implementation, and argues that this leap will require radical experimentation. But systemic change is costly, and a sweeping shift cannot be accomplished without political support, not to mention large-scale cooperation between business and government. Insightful and timely, this book brings together eight original, international case studies to consider what we can learn from the implementation of green growth strategies to date. This analysis reveals that coalitions for green experimentation emerge and survive when they link climate solutions to specific problems with near-term benefits that appeal to both environmental and industrial interests. Based on these findings, the volume delivers concrete policy recommendations for the next steps in the necessary shift toward sustainable prosperity.

Having previously embarked on a collecting expedition to the Pyrenees, backed by Sir William Hooker and George Bentham, the botanist Richard Spruce (1817-93) travelled in 1849 to South America, where he carried out unprecedented exploration among the diverse flora across the northern part of the continent. After his death, Spruce's writings on fifteen fruitful years of discovery were edited as a labour of love by fellow naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913), whom Spruce had met in Santarém. This two-volume work, first published in 1908, includes many of the author's exquisite illustrations. Showing the determination to reach plants in almost inaccessible areas, Spruce collected hundreds of species, many with medicinal properties, notably the quinine-yielding cinchona tree, as well as the datura and coca plants. Volume 1 contains Wallace's biographical introduction and a list of Spruce's published works. The narrative includes discussion of Pará, Santarém, and the Negro and Orinoco rivers.