Ecological Reclamation in Canada at Century's Turn

Patrick Colgan is the former executive director of the Canadian Museum
of Nature.

The more we spoil nature, the more important reclamation becomes. This
book, the proceedings of the 1995 meeting of the Canadian Society of
Environmental Biologists in Regina, reports what can be done in a
variety of situations when the effort is made. The material is very
diverse, covering a range of topics that includes removal of urban snow,
climate change, recovery of fish stocks, systems for crop seeding,
salinity of soils, wetlands, and mining sites, with an unsurprising
emphasis on the prairies. The book encompasses case studies,
methodological approaches (including some advanced mathematics), and
linkages between conservation science and managerial practice (e.g., for
mixed use of lands by ranchers and hunters). The format is that of a
research report or review, with abstracts and some excellent analysis of
specific issues, along with discussions of interacting scientific and
social concerns. In the opening and closing chapters, the editor
emphasizes the need to integrate environmental science and assessment in
order to test predictions drawn from a landscape ecology that
incorporates physical, biological, and cultural elements. Epp also
appropriately stresses the roles of industry and government, and the
development of general standards and values. As with all proceedings,
there is an inherent heterogeneity in the contents of this book: a
comprehensive text it is not. Recommended for specialists.