Synopses & Reviews
Since the establishment of Yellowstone National Park in 1872, the national park movement has spread quickly and internationally. There are now over seven thousand national parks in 140 countries, and these numbers continue to grow. But national parks are facing new challenges in the modern age, such as rapid environmental change, the worldwide recession, and political pressures of varying degrees. In this richly illustrated and beautifully designed volume, Randolph Delehantypresents a diverse group of national parks from the United States, East Africa, Italy, Australia, Amazonia, and Tibet. Originally published to coincide with an exhibition at the Presidio of San Francisco, this book is organized into portraits of each park, complete with gorgeous images from internationally renowned photographers and incisive analyses by park experts from each region. Serving as both a testament to the beauty of the natural world and a timely call to action,
Crown Jewels shows us that the world’s stunning national parks are an irreplaceable resource with an uncertain future—and all of us are key to securing that future.
Synopsis
The national park idea first emerged in the United States with the establishment of Yellowstone in 1872. Today there are at least 7,000 national parks in 140 countries around the world. But all face growing challenges from rapid environmental change, worldwide economic recession, and political pressures of varying degree. Crown Jewels presents fascinating, richly illustrated portraits of parks in the U.S., East Africa, Italy, Amazonia, Tibet, and Australia, with analyses by park experts in each region. Crown Jewels reminds us that our world's stunningly beautiful national parks are an irreplaceable resource with an uncertain future and all of us are key to securing that future.
About the Author
Randolph Delehanty is a historian and exhibitions curator at the Presidio of San Francisco. He was the founding director of the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans, and has taught at San Francisco State University. He is the author of books on California, the American West, and the South.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
U.S. National Parks and Protected Areas: Past, Present, and Future
Randolph Delehanty
Chang Tang Nature Reserve, China: Nature Reserves, Wildlife, and Pastoralists in Tibet
George B. Schaller
Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania: Prospects, Problems, and Progress
John F. R. Bower
National Archeological Parks of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Stabiae, Boscoreale, and Oplontis, Italy: Mass Tourism, Pleasures, and Politics in the Shadow of Vesuvius
Judith Harris
Alto Orinoco-Casiquaire Biosphere Reserve, Venezuela, and Yanomami Territory, Brazil: National Reserves and the Yanomami People in the Amazonian Rainforest Fiona Watson and Joanna Eede
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Australia: National Parks, Changes in Perception, and Hyper-Reality
Celmara Pocock
Changes in the Scientific Understanding of Nature: Can National Parks Be Preserved “Unimpaired”?
Randolph Delehanty
Appendix: The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Definitions of Protected Areas
Contributors
Index