Keiter, Robert B (Author)
Island Press
Physical Details: xix + 343 pp.; index
Language: English
When the national park system was first established in 1916, the goal "to conserve unimpaired" seemed straightforward. But Robert Keiter argues that parks have always served a variety of competing purposes, from wildlife protection and scientific discovery to tourism and commercial development. In this trenchant analysis, he explains how parks must be managed more effectively to meet increasing demands in the face of climate, environmental, and demographic changes. Taking a topical approach, Keiter traces the history of the national park idea from its inception to its uncertain future. Thematic chapters explore our changing conceptions of the parks as wilderness sanctuaries, playgrounds, educational facilities, and more. He also examines key controversies that have shaped the parks and our perception of them. Ultimately, Keiter demonstrates that parks cannot be treated as special islands, but must be managed as the critical cores of larger ecosystems. Only when the National Park Service works with surrounding areas can the parks meet critical habitat, large-scale connectivity, clean air and water needs, and also provide sanctuaries where people can experience nature. Today's mandate must remain to conserve unimpairedbut Keiter shows how the national park idea can and must go much farther. Professionals, students, and scholars with an interest in environmental history, national parks, and federal land management, as well as scientists and managers working on adaptation to climate change should find the book useful and inspiring.
...MoreReview Frank, Jerry J. (2014) Review of "To Conserve Unimpaired: The Evolution of the National Park Idea". Environmental History (pp. 606-608).
Similar Citations
Book
Rothman, Hal;
Miller, Char;
(2013)
Death Valley National Park: A History
(/isis/citation/CBB001422339/)
Chapter
Blavascunas, Eunice;
(2013)
Signals in the Forest: Cultural Boundaries of Science in Białowieża, Poland
(/isis/citation/CBB001420344/)
Book
White, P.J.;
Garrott, Robert A.;
Plumb, Glenn E.;
(2013)
Yellowstone's Wildlife in Transition
(/isis/citation/CBB001421443/)
Book
Jordan, William R;
Lubick, George M;
(2011)
Making Nature Whole: A History of Ecological Restoration
(/isis/citation/CBB001421418/)
Book
Miller, Char;
(2013)
Seeking the Greatest Good: The Conservation Legacy of Gifford Pinchot
(/isis/citation/CBB001420359/)
Book
Paddy Woodworth;
(2013)
Our Once and Future Planet: Restoring the World in the Climate Change Century
(/isis/citation/CBB765014471/)
Book
Kupper, Patrick;
(2014)
Creating Wilderness: A Transnational History of the Swiss National Park
(/isis/citation/CBB001422380/)
Article
Tóth, Anikó B.;
Lyons, S. Kathleen;
Behrensmeyer, Anna K.;
(2014)
Mammals of Kenya's Protected Areas from 1888 to 2013
(/isis/citation/CBB001421448/)
Book
Anne Marie Todd;
(2015)
Communicating Environmental Patriotism: A Rhetorical History of the American Environmental Movement
(/isis/citation/CBB783392810/)
Article
Brian Petersen;
John Hultgren;
(2020)
The Case for a 21st Century Wilderness Ethic
(/isis/citation/CBB875764212/)
Book
Newfont, Kathryn;
(2012)
Blue Ridge Commons: Environmental Activism and Forest History in Western North Carolina
(/isis/citation/CBB001421805/)
Book
Sagarin, Rafe;
Pauchard, Aníbal;
(2012)
Observation and Ecology: Broadening the Scope of Science to Understand a Complex World
(/isis/citation/CBB001421416/)
Thesis
Nyssa, Zoe;
(2014)
Endangered Logics: Conservation Science in the American Academy
(/isis/citation/CBB001567554/)
Chapter
Elena Longhin;
(2022)
Barene and Petrochemicals: The Landscapes of Porto Marghera
(/isis/citation/CBB013846017/)
Chapter
Stefano Liberti;
(2022)
The Tide Forecast Centre of Venice
(/isis/citation/CBB023181222/)
Article
Guillaume Blanc;
(2018)
Governing Nature and Ethiopia: Struggles around World Heritage, Nation-Building and Ecologies (1963–2012)
(/isis/citation/CBB525207246/)
Book
Finis Dunaway;
(2015)
Seeing Green: The Use and Abuse of American Environmental Images
(/isis/citation/CBB313032212/)
Book
Timothy Moss;
(2020)
Remaking Berlin: A History of the City through Infrastructure, 1920–2020
(/isis/citation/CBB159764389/)
Article
Tirthankar Roy;
(2021)
Water, Climate, and Economy in India from 1880 to the Present
(/isis/citation/CBB091354757/)
Thesis
Hardy, Eric M.;
(2011)
Policy Drought: Water Resource Management, Urban Growth, and Technological Solutions in Post-World War II Atlanta
(/isis/citation/CBB001567270/)
Be the first to comment!