Data were derived through a cross-sectional survey involving 288 respondents selected from three ecological zones of Nigeria to assess the role of wild plants in rural households' socio-economic security. The study revealed that wild plants were recognized by rural communities as common property and were managed through common property regimes. Wild plant products used by rural communities met a wide variety of uses and were available for sale in marketplaces within the rural areas. The study demonstrated that when compared across the three ecological zones, the volume of plant products was inversely related to the income they generated. For example, the volume of wild plant products harvested from natural forests was highest in the guinea savannah, followed by the derived savannah, and least in the rainforest; however, the annual household income generated from wild plants was highest in the rainforest and least in the guinea savannah. The wild plant products supported 11 occupations, including production of oils, soap making, gathering (of leaves, fruits, nuts, and seeds), carving, and production of chewing sticks (for oral hygiene). The most promising occupations were vegetable oil production, production of chewing sticks, soap making, production of wines, gathering, and fuel wood and charcoal production. The average annual value of harvested wild plant products from the forest (including items consumed, sold, given out to neighbors, and damaged after harvest) per household was 1,614,133 naira (N1,614,133), or US$11,956.54; the annual net income generated from the harvest of wild plant products per household was N910,252 (US$6,742.61). The sustainability of the forests for the supply of wild plant products is precarious. In plant conservation programs, priority attention should be given first to species threatened with extinction and then to plants of limited distribution in natural forests.

Frederick W. Pontius, ed. 2003. John Wiley and Sons, New York. 1,029 pp. $150 cloth.

In many cases, the “clean water” focus has been from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) water discharge perspective and on ensuring that the water emanating from various point sources is “clean.” Such a perspective is, of course, necessary, and water that emanates from such sources into an ecosystem does need to be clean in order to mitigate any potential negative ecosystem impacts. For the general populace, however, the most important facet of water regulation and technology is always eclipsed by the USEPA initiative. This equally important facet is that of drinking water.

Acid Rain Science and Politics in Japan: A History of Knowledge and Action toward Sustainability. K. E. Wilkening. 2004. The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA. 328 pp. $25 paperback.

Ken Wilkening's book offers a substantive and compelling read for multiple audiences. Wilkening's writing—informed by his long and deep interest in Japan, its culture, and its people—offers the reader an in-depth perspective on the history of science and the development of a nation's capacity to do science. Wilkening's analytical framework renders an exquisite model for the astute political scientist who seeks to understand the relationship between science and politics beyond the Japanese context that Wilkening's in-depth study so richly describes. This manuscript, abundant in background on the history of relationships between scientists and the Japanese policy-making community, is recommended reading for members of the diplomatic and scientific community engaged in any way with Japan, Korea, China, Canada, and the United States in a collective effort to address and mitigate transboundary pollution problems.

The Curse of Agricultural Abundance: A Sustainable Solution. W. W. Cochrane. 2003. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln. 156 pp. $35 cloth.

Coming of age during the Vietnam War, I was a city boy with a tendency toward the counterculture. Staying focused in college was tough. After switching majors six times, I chose agriculture as my course of study, for a selfish reason—I thought the food industry was somewhat impervious to recession and depression cycles and I would perhaps always be employed if I learned about something related to food. I settled in as a student in an Agricultural Business Administration Program at the University of Minnesota, where from 1974 to 1978, Willard W. Cochrane and economist John Helmberger introduced me and other students to agricultural economics. Professors Cochrane and Helmberger would forever change my worldview from self-interest to a more global perspective.

Alfred R. Conklin Jr., with Rolf Meinholtz. 2004. Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York. 355 pp. $135 hardcover.

Whether for remediation, evaluation, design, or regulation, the need for quality information is essential. The two most common questions asked by environmental design and regulatory professionals are, What is the degree of contamination? and What contaminants are present? The actions that must be taken are based on the resulting answers, and quality laboratories are sought to provide accurate and reproducible analyses. The fact usually missed is that the data provided are functions of the quality of samples taken, and unfortunately the weakest link in the system is many times the lack of a quality sample. The quality of a sample can be affected, for example, by where it was taken, how it was taken, how it was preserved, and/or how it was transported.

Computer-Based Environmental Management. R. Seppelt. 2003. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York. 300 pp. $110 hardcover.

Robert Costanza, author of the Foreword in the book, indicates that he intends “to use the book to make researchers” in his “Institute fully conversant with the theory and latest applications….” Costanza, clearly enamored of the work of one of his former students, must have limited his reading to the equations. Midway through the first chapter, I found that I was editing grammar, spelling, and other problems; I grew so frustrated after the first couple of pages that I resorted to use of red pen. For example:

This research considers acculturation by Mexican and Chinese groups in the United States and how participation in five nature-based outdoor recreation activities may be an indicator of acculturation to American society. We argue that the greater incidence of professional human capital among Chinese immigrants helps this group acculturate more quickly than Mexicans, who are more likely to be labor immigrants and that as a result, Chinese immigrants will be more likely than Mexican immigrants to participate in nature-based outdoor recreation activities. We also posit that US-born Chinese have a greater likelihood of participation compared to US-born Mexicans. Results show Chinese immigrant participation is distinguished only slightly from Mexican immigrant participation; no differences were found between US-born Chinese and US-born Mexicans. Within-group comparisons show immigrant Chinese participation to be more aligned with US-born Chinese participation than immigrant Mexican participation to US-born Mexican participation. Results from this study are intended to help raise awareness among environmental professionals of the different ways nature may be perceived by various cultural groups and also to alert managers of the important role natural resources can play in acculturating immigrants to US society.

Global Positioning System: A Field Guide for the Social Sciences. J. Spencer, B. G. Frizelle, P. H. Page, & J. B. Vogler. 2003. Blackwell Publishing, Oxford. 224 pp. $29.95 paperback.

Global Positioning System: A Field Guide for the Social Sciences is divided into two parts. The first part deals with the decisions that must be considered prior to fieldwork. The authors discuss locating hospitals or the closest locations of doctors for their social science studies. The decisions for fieldwork are applicable across many disciplines, whether the fieldwork locates wetlands or underground storage tanks. The book forces the determination of the mapping accuracy needed for a project and thus the correct Global Positioning System (GPS) unit. The book explains the multitude of GPS receivers and provides enough information for one to select the appropriate unit. It discusses the many coordinate systems and datums without bogging the reader down.

An Unnatural Metropolis: Wresting New Orleans from Nature. Craig E. Colten. 2005. Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge, LA. 245 pp. $39.95 hardcover.

The history and geography of New Orleans, perhaps more than any other American city, is inextricably entwined with the challenges presented by the city's natural setting. In his unexpectedly timely book, An Unnatural Metropolis, author Craig E. Colten recounts this intricate relationship and the human attempt to, in effect, hold nature at bay at the mouth of the Mississippi. Although Colten covers a wide range of the dilemmas faced by New Orleans' residents over the past 300 years (many of which, such as sanitation and water delivery, were by no means unique to New Orleans among nineteenth-century cities), in light of recent events, most readers probably will be most interested in his account of New Orleans' levee and drainage systems, and the shaping of the city's modern-day racial and social geography.

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). 2004. UNEP, Nairobi, Kenya. 208 pp. $20 paperback.

The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) held its 22nd Governing Council in early 2003 and decided at that meeting to prepare an annual Global Environmental Outlook statement. The statement's purpose is to “highlight significant environmental events and achievements during the year and raise awareness of emerging issues from scientific research and other sources,” according to Klaus Topfer, the Executive Director of UNEP. This slim yet useful Yearbook is the Program's response to that decision. Its primary goal is to make new environmental information accessible in a timely fashion and bridge gaps between environmental science and policy. After an explanatory preface, UNEP sets forth a global overview followed by a series of chapters that are geographically focused.

Five Billion Years of Global Change: A History of the Land. Denis Wood. 2004. The Guilford Press, New York. 335 pp. $19.95 paperback.

Simply stated, this book presents a snapshot of five billion years of the earth's history. It begins with the Big Bang and proceeds to the present day, outlining key historical events in the formation and transformation of our planet (i.e., creation of the solar system, plate tectonics, rise of life on earth, early humans, etc.).

Modern Groundwater Exploration: Discovering New Water Resources in Consolidated Rocks Using Innovative Hydrogeologic Concepts, Exploration, Drilling, Aquifer Testing, and Management Methods. R. A. Bisson and J. H. Lehr, eds. 2004. John Wiley and Sons, New York. 309 pp. $74.95 cloth.

Worldwide, a myriad of reasons prevent adequate water supplies: lack of exploration or employment of modern techniques, bureaucratic and political dysfunctions, poverty, and war. Over one billion people currently lack access to clean water. What will happen as the population increases by adding two billion people over the next forty years (based on current projections)? Locating sustainable reserves of potable groundwater is essential to the survival of all life on earth. Although many books are available that discuss the plight and consequences of water shortages, it's refreshing to find a technically optimistic book that describes success stories for greatly increasing water supplies.

GIS: A Short Introduction. N. Schuurman. 2004. Blackwell Publishing, Williston, VT. 169 pp. $22.95 paperback.

The technological revolution has changed our world, and the evolution of computer technology continues to redefine the landscape. In terms of computerized mapping of multidisciplinary fields of study, Professor Nadine Schuurman presents overwhelming scientific evidence of the indispensability of geographic information systems (GIS).

David P. Lawrence. 2003. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York. 562 pp. $99.95 hardcover.

The title of this textbook, Environmental Impact Assessment, belies the complexity and sophistication of its contents. David Lawrence has produced a monumental work outlining Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as it is practiced globally. The global practice of EIA was inspired in large part by the American practice of environmental impact analysis conducted in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969. This practice is not synonymous with NEPA practice in America, which makes this work especially important for American-trained NEPA specialists working outside the United States.

Contributors.

Contributors.

Jane A. Grant. 2003. Rowman & Littlefield, New York. 135 pp. $60 cloth, $19.95 paperback.

In Community, Democracy, and the Environment, Jane A. Grant advocates for a strong version of sustainable development, which strives for structural changes to current economic, political, and social institutions, with the underlying assumption that increased community engagement will lead to more sustainable outcomes (Humphrey, Lewis, and Buttel, 2002). In this context, Grant searches for a social/political model that will foster deliberation on common interests, or the development of a civil ethos that will serve as a guide to more sustainable policies and goals at the local, national, and international levels. Community, Democracy, and the Environment outlines how the civil and political spheres in America have become separated in modern society and how the concept of sustainable development may reunite these spheres, at the same time allowing discussion about two competing values—economic growth and environmental protection. For instance, Grant writes: “The usefulness of sustainable development as a mechanism to guide both growth and environmental protection in the following decades will depend on the actual agreements worked out in its name” (p. 13).

Theodore Roszak. 2002. Phanes Press, Grand Rapids, MI. 377 pp. $35 hardcover, $19.95 paperback.

Our relationship with our environment has never been more in question. Current analysis on such subjects as global warming, the prevalence of pesticides in the environment, and the current condition of water quality makes Theodore Roszak's work seem essential as well as urgent. This is not a book to be skimmed. In fact, it cannot be skimmed. It is a deep psychoanalysis of the person/environment interface and what that relationship may mean to future generations. It is a book to be read and re-read. The ideal approach would be to read 20 to 30 pages at a time and then just think about it for a few days. Attending to our planet requires one to come to terms with personal philosophy and individual, as well as group thought and behavior.

Volume 7 index.

Contributors.