Description

pp. 595, “This large and comprehensive work provides a detailed view of the Peace-Athabasca delta in Canada, one of the largest inland deltas of the world…. Because of its length (it is almost 600 pages), it is difficult in a short review to do justice to this detailed and engaging work…. According to the author, the book is a synthesis of what is known about the delta, an environmental history, a reference book, and a field guide. It is all of these. The book is intended for a wide audience including natural scientists; those involved in the management, health, and policy of natural systems; naturalists; engineers in government and non-governmental organizations; and students and teachers of ecological and environmental studies. The book…should be of interest to ecologists and environmental scientists generally as a compendium of information on one of the more important wetland ecosystems of the world.””  //  “”In the delta, water is boss, change is the only constant, and creation and destruction exist side by side.” The Peace-Athabasca Delta in northern Alberta is a globally significant wetland that lies within one of the largest unfragmented landscapes in North America. Arguably the world’s largest boreal inland delta, it is renowned for its biological productivity and is a central feature of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Yet the delta and its indigenous cultures lie downstream of Alberta’s bitumen sands, whose exploitation comprises one of the largest industrial projects in the world. Kevin Timoney provides an authoritative synthesis of the science and history of the delta, describing its ecology, unraveling its millennia-long history, and addressing its uncertain future. Scientists, students, leaders in the energy sector, government officials and policy makers, and conscientious citizens everywhere should read this lively work.”