Antarctic Whaling explores how British whalers came to claim so large a share of the whales taken from the Southern Ocean in the first half of the twentieth century, and, more particularly, where, when, how and why the British Government came to play so large a part in whaling history through its endeavour to regulate the whaling grounds.

Environmental history - the history of the relationship between people and the natural world - is a dynamic and increasingly important field. In An Environmental History of Twentieth-Century Britain, John Sheail breaks new ground in illustrating how some of the most pressing concerns came to be recognised, and a response made. Much use is made of archival sources in tracing a number of key issues, including:- Management of change by central and local government- The ...

National parks have always been an emotive and iconic symbol, ever since the first parks of the modern era were created in the mid-nineteenth century. This book, based on original research, delves deeply into their character and significance, and the larger context in which they developed.The book celebrates the deserved attractiveness of the parks as wilderness or 'spectacle' to millions of visitors, but also emphasises how there was nothing inevitable, self-sustaining or without ...

Singapore has gained a reputation for being one of the wealthiest and best-educated countries in the world and one of the brightest success stories for a colony-turned-sovereign state, but the country's path to success was anything but assured. Its strategic location and natural resources both allowed Singapore to profit from global commerce and also made the island an attractive conquest for the world's naval powers, resulting in centuries of stunting colonialization. In Singapore: Un...

Humanity can make short work of the oceans’ creatures. In 1741, hungry explorers discovered herds of Steller’s sea cow in the Bering Strait, and in less than thirty years, the amiable beast had been harpooned into extinction. It’s a classic story, but a key fact is often omitted. Bering Island was the last redoubt of a species that had been decimated by hunting and habitat loss years before the explorers set sail.As Callum M. Roberts reveals in The Unnatural History of the S

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 p...

In almost the blink of an eye, Canada's east coast cod fishery collapsed completely. The famous Grand Banks fishery was dead. First sounded by European explorers in the late 15th century, the banks were internationally known to be a famous fishing ground for the Northern cod. Sadly, this is no longer the case. While many theories abound surrounding its destruction, including over-fishing, weak scientific fishery modeling, and foreign rapaciousness, the fact is that after a 15-year moratori...

Joint winner of the Australian/Vogel's Literary Award 2003.Troubled Waters tells the story of Australia's northern waters and their dramatic transformation in the twentieth century from a backwater to the most militarised and fiercely guarded region in Australia. Once a bridge between two coastlines and two cultures, the Timor Sea has become, in the last years of the twentieth century, the nation's frontline against the threat of invasion.When Australia ex...

From 1960 to 1990, islands across the Pacific gained independence or self-government. In the years following this, Ian Johnstone and Michael Powles interviewed the Pacific people in key leadership positions in the lead-up to and achievement of independence, many of whom became well-known in the Pacific and more widely. This book presents a nation-by-nation history of this change from being colonial subjects to citizens of Pacific nations from the point of view of the leaders involved. Acco...

Is Thailand the Test Case for Asian Development? That is the issue that caught my imagination and attracted me to teach and research in Thailand in 1964 and it has caught my constant attention over the years to the processes that were applied to help that nation develop. the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) financing of the Bhumipol (Yanhee) Dam at Tak in Northwest Thailand as a study of how corruption can be eliminated in development is to vital a testame...

Between 1949 and 1955, the State Department pushed for an international fisheries policy grounded in maximum sustainable yield (MSY). The concept is based on a confidence that scientists can predict, theoretically, the largest catch that can be taken from a species' stock over an indefinite period. And while it was modified in 1996 with passage of the Sustained Fisheries Act, MSY is still at the heart of modern American fisheries management. As fish populations continue to crash, however, ...

In this fascinating and exciting overview, Donald B. Freeman explores the role of the Pacific Ocean in human history.Covering over one third of the globe, the Pacific Ocean plays a vital role in the lives and fortunes of more than two billion people who live on its rim-lands and islands. It has played a crucial part in shaping the histories of the different Pacific cultures, towards which it has appeared in a variety of different guises. Exploring the ocean’s place in human history...