No. 43, Spring/Summer 1998
Ecotourism in Drylands

Selected resources of interest

Annotated by Heather Severson and Elaine Cubbins

Data book of desertification/land degradation Edited by Hiroshi Kadomura, et al. National Institute for Environmental Studies, Environment Agency of Japan, 1997. 68 pp. Available from: Data Base Section Center for Global Environmental Research National Institute for Environmental Studies 16-2, Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0053 Japan Tel: +81-298-50-2349 Fax: +81298-58-2645 E-mail: cgerdb@nies.go.jp This volume addresses various aspects of desertification and land degradation, including significance of related problems; definitions and general conditions; causes and impacts; international activities; case studies and response strategies. Researchers and others who are interested in global environmental issues will find this book useful, particularly the clear and colorful tables and figures. Written in English and Japanese. Saving our soils ELCI, 1997. Free for RIOD Network participants, US$12.00 for others. Available from: Ms. Ilse Marks ELCI P.O. Box 72461 Nairobi Kenya Tel: +254 (2) 57.61.07/14/25/54 Fax: +254 (2) 56.21.75 Saving Our Soils is a practical fundraising manual for NGOs and community-based organizations involved in fighting dryland degradation around the world. The manual gives detailed tips about how to raise money from donor organizations. Some of the subjects covered include: using the Convention to Combat Desertification as background for desertification projects. designing projects and programs. writing concept papers and proposals. finding, contacting and negotiating with appropriate donors The book presents a comprehensive list of multilateral, government and private funding agencies that are interested in desertification issues, complete with organizational objectives, contacts and descriptions of amounts and types of funding offered. The arid frontier: Interactive management of environment and development Edited by Hendrik J. Bruins and Harvey Lithwick Geojournal Library volume 42 Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordecht, 1997. 396 pp. US$159.00 hardbound Available from: Kluwer Academic Publishers P.O. Box 17 3300 AA Dordrecht The Netherlands Tel: (+31) 78 639 23 92 Fax: (+31) 78 639 22 54 E-mail: Services@wkap.nl or 101 Philip Drive Norwell, MA 02061 USA Tel: +1 781 871 6600 Fax: +1 781 871 6528 E-mail: kluwer@wkap.com Web: http://www.wkap.nl/ This book features case studies in dryland development and management. The contributors focus on the principal interactions between people and dryland environments in terms of drought, food, land, water, renewable energy and housing. The book emphasizes development that is based on appropriate ethics, legislation, policy, proactive planning and interactive management. Professionals, policy-makers, researchers, lecturers and students in all fields surrounding dryland development and management will find value in this publication. The following two books are available from: The University of Arizona Press 1230 N. Park Avenue, Suite 102 Tucson, AZ 85719 USA Tel: +1 (520) 626-4218 Fax: +1 (520) 621-8899 Web: http://www.uapress.arizona.edu/home.htm At the desert's green edge: An ethnobotany of the Gila River Pima by Amadeo M. Rea University of Arizona Press, 1997. 430 pp. "The Akimel O'odham, or Pima Indians, of the northern Sonoran Desert continue to make their home along Arizona's Gila River despite the alarming degradation of their habitat that has occurred over the past century." This beautifully illustrated book is a complete ethnobotany of the Gila River Pima, written from the perspective of the Pimas themselves. Information about plants is interwoven with memories of history and culture, creating a unique archive of plant lore that will be a resource for botanists and anthropologists. Reopening the American West Edited by Hal K. Rothman University of Arizona Press, 1998. 208 pp. US$35.00 cloth, $15.95 paper. This collection features ten essays exploring tourism, multiculturalism, environmentalism and history in the American West. Contributors consider changes, problems and opportunities that have developed in the West, including how Las Vegas has affected the Colorado River, how Anglo visitors influence Navajo economy, the changing sense of community and place, and various influential individuals who have contributed to the identity of the region. The law of desert formation: Present and past by Johannes Walther Translated by Gabriela Meyer from 1924 German edition Edited by Eberhard Gischler and Kenneth W. Glennie Geological Milestones, volume 4. University of Miami, 1997. 273 pp, 203 figs. US$40.00 plus 15% ($6.00) for handling and postage. Available from: Robert N. Ginsburg, Series Editor University of Miami, RSMAS-MGG Miami, FL 33149-1098 USA Fax: +1 (305) 361-4094 Johannes Walther's treatise on deserts, translated into English for the first time by Gabriela Meyer, is the "capstone of [Walther's] eclectic contributions to sedimentary geology." The expanded 4th edition of the 1924 publication examines principle features and geologic history of deserts, and processes of erosion and deposition. With a combination of field observations and analysis, Walther addresses possible causes and implications of polar wandering, climate change, and the early history of the earth. The book also features an introduction by K.W. Glennie and more than 300 editorial footnotes that "provide a modern perspective on Walther's work on desert sedimentology."

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