A Continent Transformed: Human Impact on the Natural Vegetation of Australia

When hunters and gatherers arrived in Australia many tens of thousands of years ago, their burning, hunting, and vegetable gathering practices caused substantial change in the continent's vegetation. In the last two centuries, European settlers have greatly accelerated the process, sometimes wiping out entire vegetation types as they clear vast areas for farms, forest plantations, houses, and roads. They continue to alter the nature of the remaining forests though the removal of wood, and their introduction to the region of new animal and plant species has dramatically changed large areas of the surviving bush. A Continent Transformed provides a succinct, accessible introduction to the biogeography of Australia, focusing in particular on the changes that have occurred and offering practical solutions for saving the continent's remarkable biological diversity. Written for people approaching the subject for the first time, the book highlights the latest scientific research on ecological issues in non-technical terms. Students of biogeography and ecology--indeed all those interested in the conservation of Australia's magnificent natural heritage--will find A Continent Transformed interesting, enlightening, and stimulating.