Three Environmental Encyclopedias

Abstract

Review by Donna M. Hanson Associate Professor and Science Librarian, University of Idaho Library, Moscow, ID 83844, USA. TEL: 208- Linda Sobel Kratz, Sarah Orrick and Robert Honig, eds. ENVIRONMENTAL PROFILES : A GLOBAL GUIDE TO PROJECTS AND PEOPLE. Foreword by Vice-president Al Gore. New York, London: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1993. (Garland Reference Library of Social Science, Vol. 736) 1083 pp. US$125.00 hardback ISBN: 0-8153- 0063-8. Recycled, 250 year life, acid-free paper. An advisory board comprised of sixteen individuals with extensive experience in environmental research and/or environmental law have provided guidance in the compilation of this volume. The goal of the editors was to produce a resource that actually describes how, why, and when environmental efforts have been undertaken and who provided the energy, impetus, and commitment to make them happen. (Foreword, xviii) Embassies in Washington, DC helped identify groups and/or individuals to participate in the project. More than 5,000 individuals and organizations were surveyed to gather the information for the 115 countries included. The result is a useful compendium of international environmental information. The entries are arranged alphabetically by country. A small inset box at the beginning of each country's entry provides a concise overview of environmental conditions and a map which shows the country in context within one of seven major geographic regions. Research projects in each country are grouped by [national] Government, Regional Government, State Government, Non-Governmental Organizations, Private, and University. Each project entry includes the name and address of the agency or organization, with the name, telephone number, and e-mail address (when available) for a contact person. Special symbols are used to identify international and grass roots organizations. 'Projects & People' listings provide short descriptions of environmental projects completed, underway, or anticipated. The 'Resources' section lists publications and other materials produced by the group. Areas of support and cooperation offered or desired are also listed. The length of entries vary depending on the amount and nature of information submitted for inclusion. In most cases, the names of organizations, both in the entry and in the index, are listed in the native language followed by an English translation. Multinational organizations are grouped in a ''Global/Regional'' section at the front of the volume. A very useful list of abbreviations and acronyms is precedes the body of the text. Eleven major environmental issues -- Air Quality/Emission Control, Biodiversity/Species Preservation, Deforestation, Energy, Global Warming, Health, Population Planning, Recycling/Waste Management, Sustainable Development, Transportation, and Water Quality -- are used in the Appendix to provide broad subject access to the activities and interests of the organizations listed. The Index provides more detailed personal name, organization, and subject access to the volume. A random check of about fifty appendix and index entries found only one error. The American Fisheries Society is on page 615, not page 614 as listed in the 'Biodiversity/Species Preservation' section of the Appendix.