Islands in a Far Sea: The Fate of Nature in Hawaii, Revised Edition / Edition 1

by John L. Culliney

Overview

First published in 1988, Islands in a Far Sea offers a comprehensive environmental history of Hawai‘i. This thoroughly revised edition begins with an up-to-date account of the geological formation and shaping of the Islands, their colonization by plants and animals, and the patterns of ecology and evolution that unfolded in nurturing seas and on breath-taking landscapes.

This book tells the story of human interaction with Hawai‘i's native landscapes and rich biological heritage. The author’s accessible language allows readers to grasp basic geological and biological principles and to understand the perhaps surprising vulnerability of Hawaiian ecosystems—which have coevolved with volcanoes—to human impact. Islands in a Far Sea includes many well-documented historical examples of such impacts, featuring growth and greed, fears and foibles as humans confronted endemic nature in Hawai‘i. Citing a large array of sources, the author makes it possible for interested readers to probe more deeply the changes in natural systems that have ensued on all of the Hawaiian Islands. To date the result has been the tragic reduction of a unique and benign biota. However, the book holds out hope that current efforts to protect what is left of Hawai‘i's flora and fauna in their remaining wild settings may yet succeed.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780824829476
Publisher:	University of Hawaii Press, The
Publication date:	11/30/2005
Series:	Latitude 20 Bks.
Edition description:	Revised
Pages:	432
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

John L. Culliney, a biologist educated at Yale and Duke Universities, is professor emeritus of biology at Hawai‘i Pacific University.

Editorial Reviews

Beautifully written and logically organized, [this book] makes Culliney's plea for humanity to live 'within our ecological means' an extremely powerful one.

Honolulu Weekly