The Green Tiger

The Costs of Ecological Decline in the Philippines

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Science, Biological Sciences, Ecology, Biology
Cover of the book The Green Tiger by Barbara Goldoftas, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Barbara Goldoftas ISBN: 9780190285562
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: December 22, 2005
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Barbara Goldoftas
ISBN: 9780190285562
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: December 22, 2005
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

Once famous for the beauty of its white beaches, reef-ringed islands, and lush forests, today the Philippines is known as an example of the deep costs of ecological decline. In less than a generation, large and small users alike felled the forests, shattered the coral reefs, and over-fished the oceans. The rapid harvest of the once-abundant resources has brought environmental changes: droughts, deadly flash floods, and the collapse of vital fisheries. The consequences have reverberated throughout the country. As the rural economy weakened, millions migrated to the cities, overwhelming the infrastructure and deepening the problems of urban health. Pioneering efforts have been launched to curtail the environmental damage and manage the resources that remain. Trained as a botanist and plant ecologist, writer Barbara Goldoftas traveled extensively throughout the archipelago to document the loss of the natural resources, the dramatic human costs, and efforts to reverse the decline. Along the forest frontier, she met villagers whose fields had been washed away by mudslides and church workers risking their lives to defend the dwindling forests. In coastal villages, she spoke with fishermen who, having watched their catches diminish with the dying reefs, enforced the boundaries of no-take zones. In towns and villages alike, she interviewed local politicians and leaders of non-governmental organizations working to combine conservation and development and keep their communities intact. Written about a country often described as an environmental worst-case scenario, The Green Tiger offers an unusually close look at the consequences of ecological decline and determined efforts to reverse them. It argues that, rather than destroying a natural resource base, development should integrate conservation and economic growth. It gives a realistic, but optimistic vision of the long process of "nation-building" that is the backdrop of environmental work in a developing country and a new democracy.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Once famous for the beauty of its white beaches, reef-ringed islands, and lush forests, today the Philippines is known as an example of the deep costs of ecological decline. In less than a generation, large and small users alike felled the forests, shattered the coral reefs, and over-fished the oceans. The rapid harvest of the once-abundant resources has brought environmental changes: droughts, deadly flash floods, and the collapse of vital fisheries. The consequences have reverberated throughout the country. As the rural economy weakened, millions migrated to the cities, overwhelming the infrastructure and deepening the problems of urban health. Pioneering efforts have been launched to curtail the environmental damage and manage the resources that remain. Trained as a botanist and plant ecologist, writer Barbara Goldoftas traveled extensively throughout the archipelago to document the loss of the natural resources, the dramatic human costs, and efforts to reverse the decline. Along the forest frontier, she met villagers whose fields had been washed away by mudslides and church workers risking their lives to defend the dwindling forests. In coastal villages, she spoke with fishermen who, having watched their catches diminish with the dying reefs, enforced the boundaries of no-take zones. In towns and villages alike, she interviewed local politicians and leaders of non-governmental organizations working to combine conservation and development and keep their communities intact. Written about a country often described as an environmental worst-case scenario, The Green Tiger offers an unusually close look at the consequences of ecological decline and determined efforts to reverse them. It argues that, rather than destroying a natural resource base, development should integrate conservation and economic growth. It gives a realistic, but optimistic vision of the long process of "nation-building" that is the backdrop of environmental work in a developing country and a new democracy.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book Language Teaching Competences by Barbara Goldoftas
Cover of the book Tolerating Intolerance by Barbara Goldoftas
Cover of the book Mastery of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder by Barbara Goldoftas
Cover of the book Mayo Clinic Critical Care Case Review by Barbara Goldoftas
Cover of the book Cataloging the World by Barbara Goldoftas
Cover of the book Classical Traditions in Science Fiction by Barbara Goldoftas
Cover of the book Plato: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide by Barbara Goldoftas
Cover of the book Neurocritical Care by Barbara Goldoftas
Cover of the book A History of US: The First Americans by Barbara Goldoftas
Cover of the book Freedom from Religion by Barbara Goldoftas
Cover of the book Saint-Saëns by Barbara Goldoftas
Cover of the book Morale by Barbara Goldoftas
Cover of the book The Lessons of Rancière by Barbara Goldoftas
Cover of the book Catherine the Great by Barbara Goldoftas
Cover of the book The Other One Percent by Barbara Goldoftas
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy