Tiger Bone & Rhino Horn: The Destruction of Wildlife for Traditional Chinese Medicine. R. Ellis. 2005. Shearwater Books of Island Press, Washington, DC. 294 pp. $17.99 cloth.

Richard Ellis, a research associate at the American Museum of Natural History and celebrated author and artist, presents an intriguing and (quite unfortunately) timely and relevant look at a major cause of the loss of many species worldwide: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The volume is meant for lay readers with interests in natural history and conservation, and the prose is, thankfully, devoid of technical jargon. Yet the information is up-to-date and comprehensive enough to offer something new for those of us who have looked at various aspects of Asian wildlife markets professionally.

Adaptive Governance: Integrating Science, Policy, and Decision Making. Ronald D. Brunner, Toddi A. Steelman, Lindy Coe-Juell, Chistina M. Cromley, Christine M. Edwards, and Donna W. Tucker. 2005. Columbia University Press, New York. 368 pp. $79.50 cloth, $29.50 paperback.

In Adaptive Governance: Integrating Science, Policy, and Decision Making, Ronald D. Brunner et al. have outlined some illustrations of progress toward improved public policy. This is documented through five case studies of public lands management and administration. The authors define adaptive governance as a process that integrates scientific and other types of knowledge into policies through a context of open decision-making structures; the goal is to advance the common interest. The purpose of the volume is to clarify how to expedite a transition to adaptive governance for people concerned about the problems of gridlock in natural resource policy and who are in a position to make a difference.

Contributors.

Diamond: A Struggle for Environmental Justice in Louisiana's Chemical Corridor. S. Lerner. 2005. The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA. 344 pp. $27.95 cloth.

In his 2005 text, Diamond: A Struggle for Environmental Justice in Louisiana's Chemical Corridor, Steven Lerner brings to light strident issues of environmental racism, environmental injustice, and chemical trespass, which he claims occurred as part of Royal Dutch Shell's chemical plant operations in the Louisiana community of Norco. The story of Diamond develops much further, however, providing a chronicle of the residents' successful efforts to focus local, national, and, ultimately, global attention to their situation. What emerges is a primer of sorts for similarly situated communities the world over.

Contributors.