Too many of the earth's natural resources continue to disappear rapidly as the result of abuses in resource management carried out in the name of progress. Conversely, an antagonistic attitude exists towards human incursions into the "Natural" setting -- in the name of science. Peter Jacobs argues that both attitudes are inappropriate and ultimately dangerous.

Environmental Strategy and Action analyses the current state of the environment with respect to three key issues contained in the World Conservation Strategy: the maintenance of ecological processes, such as those related to forest and soils; the preservation of genetic resources -- the plants and animals needed to support life; and sustatined utilization of renewable resources, which involves an understanding of reproduction cycles and preservation of natural habitats.

Jacobs links the main elements of this study to a variety of Canadian cases and contrasts these sharply with examples taken from less developed areas of the world. He emphasizes the bond between settlement planning and environmental strategy and maintains that conservation must become part of the development process. He also points out the vulnerablility of traditional subsistence cultures when they are confronted with the environmental impact of development.

By examining today's critical resource situation and analysing in depth the role of development in order to cope with world poverty, Jacobs provides a valuable basis for conservation activism aimed at preserving the world's resources for future generations.

Peter Jacobs' profile page

Peter Jacobs is professor of landscape architecture at the University of Montreal, associate dean of the Faculte de l'Amenagement, and the immediate past president of the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects.