The Russian Far East: A Reference Guide for Conservation and Development [Paperback]

Josh Newell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2004

The Russian Far East (RFE) is a vital storehouse of oil and gas, timber, fish, and precious metals that will inevitably be tapped as Pacific Rim economies seek to secure the natural resources necessary for long-term economic growth. Sustainable development of the resources in this vast regionù an area more than two-thirds the size of the United Statesùhas emerged as a major policy priority for the Russian government and the international community. The Russian Far East: A Reference Guide for Conservation and Development is the most comprehensive English-language reference text on the region to be published in the more than ten years. With contributions from an interdisciplinary team of ninety specialists from Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom, the book overviews and analyzes the region’s geography and ecology, natural resources, major industries, infrastructure, foreign trade, demographics, protected area system, and legal structure. Particular attention is devoted to how to region can develop in an environmentally sustainable way. The book is divided into eleven chapters. The first chapter summarizes the RFE as a whole, while each of the remaining ten chapters deal with an administrative region within the Russian Far East. All of the chapters are divided into identical sections to simplify comparison among the regions. More than fifty maps, a number of which are in color, detail administrative districts and indigenous peoples' lands, protected areas, mineral deposits, timber resources, fisheries, and energy reserves. Tables and figures provide the reader with a wealth of useful, hard-to-find statistics. Color and black and white photographs.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An excellent one-stop shop for informatin on the Russian Far East." -- Dr. Michael Bradshaw, Professor, University of Leicester, 2004

"No person with an interest in the Russian Far East should be without this book." -- Russian Life Magazine, 2004

"This book is extremely informative, well organized, and easy to read. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels." -- Choice, September 2004

"This will undoubtedly be the definitive reference source on the Russian Far East for some years to come." -- Library Journal, May 2004 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Josh Newell has worked for and with Friends of the Earth since his graduation from Brown University in 1991. He organized tours for Friends of the Earth-Japan to some of Asia's wildest places. In 1994 he moved to Vladivostok, where he began his work gathering data about the Russian Far East for the RFE Biodiverstiy Hotspot Study. From 1996-1999, Josh divided his time between Vladivostk and Tokoyo working as a consultant for various U.N. agencies, Japanese government agencies, and charitable foundations. He also represented Russian and Japanese environemental concerns at the 1997 Kyoto Climate Change Conference, the 1999 World Trade Organization Ministerial in Seattle, the annual G-8 meetings, and other forums. He received his master's degree in goegrahy in 2002 from University of Washington, where he is now completing his doctorate.

Product Details

• Paperback: 466 pages
• Publisher: Daniel & Daniel Publishers; 2 edition (March 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880284758
• ISBN-13: 978-1880284759
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #538,057 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Reference Book, August 17, 2004

By 

Sharon Hudgins - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Russian Far East: A Reference Guide for Conservation and Development (Paperback)

by Sharon Hudgins, Author of THE OTHER SIDE OF RUSSIA:

Josh Newell's THE RUSSIAN FAR EAST is a reference book that belongs in the library of anyone interested in this part of the world. Its contents represent several years of research by a wide range of experts on the Russian Far East, making it a highly useful resource not only for scholars and academics, but also for people working in the media, international businesses, governmental agencies, and NGOs.

After the first chapter presenting an overview of the entire region, the remaining 10 chapters are devoted to the individual political-administrative divisions of the Russian Far East, with information on the location, size, climate, flora, fauna, largest cities, population, political status, natural resources, main industries, infrastructure, foreign trade, economic importance, and general outlook for the future.

A real strength of this book is that individual sections and essays were written by more than 90 specialists from Russia, the USA, and the United Kingdom--on such topics as ecology, biodiversity hotspots, the economy, sustainable development, legal issues, and indigenous peoples. And the authors of these sections do an admirable job of maintaining a balance between official Russian statistics and other information likely to be more accurate. They recognize that such factors as "widespread corruption" often distort official statistics, as does intentional misinformation by public and private sources following their own particular agendas.

Not only is this book fascinating to read, it is also very well designed to display massive amounts of diverse information in ways that make that information easily accessible to the reader. More than 50 maps, some of them in color, provide excellent cartographic references for the topics covered in the text. Eighty clearly drawn charts, graphs, and tables present statistical and comparative data related to the individual essays in the text. And numerous photographs give the reader a sense of the land and people, plants and animals, that make up the Russian Far East.

Highly recommended!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE handbook on the Russian Far East, August 16, 2004

By 

John Cloud (Washington, DC, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Russian Far East: A Reference Guide for Conservation and Development (Paperback)

The Russian Far East is the most biologically diverse area of the largest country on earth, but it is also perhaps the least well-known area of the planet with regards to both conservation and potential development. This reference guide has become at once THE essential document for all who address the treasures and perils of the region. The volume presents an overview of the region and important historical, environmental, and political themes, then addresses each political sub-division of the Russian Far East separately and concisely. The text involved the work of many dozens of collaborators, and it represents a historic convergence of specialists, institutions, and advocates for protection and sustainable development of one of the planet's least know treasures, the Russian Far East.

- Dr. John Cloud

c/o National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Central Library

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nothing better or more timely on this region!, September 8, 2004

By 

J. Graybill (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Russian Far East: A Reference Guide for Conservation and Development (Paperback)

This compendium of valuable information is crucial to all research in this region - from biogeography to environmental studies to ecology to ethnic studies. There is no other book in which all of this information is so easily accessible. The thoughtfulness and organization of the author is visible on every page. I recommend this book for any type of audience interested in this area.