Recommended Reading
by Ron Mader (http://www.planeta.com/)
Backpacking in Central America by Tim Burford
A Bradt publication available in the U.S. from the Globe Pequot Press, this
book covers the ground from Guatemala to Panama. Tim Burford is an
enthusiastic writer whose recommendations are on the mark. Loaded with useful
information, this book should be taken by anyone who intends to stretch their
legs in Central America.
The New Key to Costa Rica by Beatrice Blake and Anne Becher
The New Key to Ecuador by David Pearson and David Middleton
The New Key to Guatemala by Richard Harris
The New Key to Belize by Stacy Ritz
The New Key to the Yucatan by Richard Harris
The series is the off-shoot of a single, wonderful book, the popular New Key
to Costa Rica (which, incidentally, I took with me to Costa Rica in 1989; it
was then in its fourth edition, a ninth is currently being prepared).
The guides explore local flora and fauna and describe the unique ecosystems
within each country. With a percentage of profits going to environmental
groups, I expected to see more news about Ecociencia (Ecuador) or Defensores
de la Naturaleza (Guatemala) - but that information is sorely missing.
What the guides do offer besides cheerful descriptions of the natural
attractions is an innovative "green-rating survey" that ranks tourist
facilities on their commitment to the local ecology and culture. Ecotourism
ratings have been discussed before in Planeta (February 1995), and kudos to
the publisher (Ulysses Press) for attempting this.
State of the World 1996
by Lester Brown, et all
Is it my imagination or is this really the same book year after year?
Personally, I'm getting tired of the frenzied global coverage the authors
provide in each chapter. Jumping from a water crisis in Mexico to Egypt to
Asia, California, Israel, India and Ontario in a single chapter - I wonder who
is supposed to be reading this series?
I like the politics, I like the viewpoints - but this series is beginning to
wear thin for those readers who actually have been inspired by the first State
of the World to review these matters. More depth please!
Also - I wonder what percentage of the researchers live outside the Beltway -
the book gives every indication that despite its global board of directors, it
is made and manufactured in the small island called the Northeast.
Monarcas y Campesinos
by Gonzalo Chapela and David Barkin
Centro de Ecologia, 1995
Interesting!
Finally, here's a book (in Spanish) that reviews the failed strategies to
protect the Monarch Butterfly's winter refuge. The farmers (campesinos) who
live outside the government-sanctioned sanctuary most often do not receive any
economic benefit from the growing numbers of tourists. The authors propose
several innovative alternatives that incorporate the local communities into
the conservation, or rather the reverse.
This book is available from the Centro de Ecologia y Desarrollo, Santa
Margarita 526, Colonia del Valle, Mexico, DF. Phone: (011-525) 575-3604.
United States-Mexico Border Environmental Directory
A second edition of this directory was released this spring by the University
of Texas at El Paso. A must-have for border researchers, the book costs $17.
Kudos to Samuel Schmidt and Gloria Macias for compiling this valuable
resource. Contact: CIABS, UTEP, Burges Hall 209, El Paso, TX 79968; Phone:
915-747-5196; Fax: 915-747-5574.
Greening of Industry: Resource Guide and Bibliography
edited by Peter Groenewegen, Kurt Fischer, Edith Jenkins and Johan Scott
(Island Press, 1995)
Environmental economics is now an accepted hybrid in both disciplines. This
book is a guide to other materials - a road map of sorts - to what policy
makers are referring to as "sustainability strategies." This is an excellent
introduction to the subject of environmental business and as well as a guide
to further research. If there is a failing to the book, it is that it does not
review industry in the South - or the problems and opportunities that occur in
the developing world.
1996 ron@txinfinet.com
--Ron E. Mader, Publisher El Planeta Platica: Eco Travels in Latin America WWW http://www.planeta.com Ron@txinfinet.com ------------------------------------------------------------ InfiNet - an online community for progressive information BBS 512.462.0633 Telnet: shakti.txinfinet.com 3000 WWW http://www.greenbuilder.com