Welsh Journals

Ecology, recreation and tourism. John M. Edington and M. Ann Edington. Cambridge University Press, 1986. viii + 200pp., illus. ISBN 0 521 30646 9 (Hardback); 0 52131409 7 (Paperback). The first four chapters in the volume provide a discussion of one aspect of the major conclusion of a United Nations' study of the impact of tourism on developing countries-namely that whilst tourism frequently confers economic advantages on the host country and promotes cultural contacts between different societies, it can also be the cause of environmental and social disruption. The first of these (Active physical pursuits) is based largely on the examples of damage to natural habitats during informal outdoor recreation in parts of North-west and South-west Wales given in the article 'Recreation and Wildlife' by John M. Edington in the third volume of the new series of Nature in Wales (for 1984). Subsequent chapters discuss the problems created whilst people observe wildlife, indulge in recreational hunting and fishing and enjoy scenery. Three other chapters consider the restraints imposed on visitors by biological agents: the spectacular increase in the incidence of exotic disease amongst travellers associated with the growth of international tourism; the interference by insects during recreational activities; and the hazards associated with larger animals. The final chapter discusses the problems created by the support facilities for major tourist projects and considers appropriate designs for resorts. The volume is a worthy successor to the highly praised Ecology and environmental planning published in 1977 (and issued in paperback in 1981). One particularly helpful — and attractive aspect of both volumes is the extensive use of line drawings to summarise relationships. They are almost certainly the end product of a continuing dialogue between lecturer and pupil in the Environmental Conservation Course at University College, Cardiff, inaugurated by the authors in 1974. The scope in both volumes is international. The volume is, however, much more than a textbook for students. It can be read without much difficulty and with considerable benefit by the layman, and should be required reading for tourism planners and tour operators. D.A. Bassett Book Notices Briefly on badgers. Produced by the Gwent Badger Group. lsted. 1979, 2nd ed. 1985. 55pp, illus. £ 1.00. ISBN 0 90506774 1 8. The second edition of this booklet, like the first, contains a series of short articles on various aspects of the study and conservation of the badger with references (and quotations) from the relevant legislation. There is also a useful map of the distribution of Badger Groups (as at March 1985) throughout the country. Financial support for the publication of the booklet was provided by The Peoples Trust for Endangered Species, The World Wildlife Fund and the Vincent Wildlife Trust. Bardsey: its history and wildlife. Edited by P. Hope Jones et al. Bardsey Island Trust/Bardsey Bird & Field Observatory, 1985. [14pp], illus. The booklet, based on an earlier one (by Susan Cowdry and Richard Rolfe, issued in 1965), is a very brief, illustrated description of the history and wildlife of the island. Keyguide to information sources in cartography. A. G. Hodgkiss and A. F. Tatham. Mansell Publishing Limited, London, 1986. x + 253pp. £ 25.00. ISBN 0-7201-1768-2. The contents of the volume, one of the first in a new series of Keyguides to information sources, can be summarised thus: Part I is a survey of cartography and its history, showing how map-making has developed and what information sources are available; Part II is an annotated bibliography of reference sources on the history of cartography; Part III is an annotated bibliography of reference sources on contemporary cartography; and Part IV is a directory of organisations. Wildlife for Man. How and why we should conserve our species. Richard Fitter. Collins, London, 1986. 223pp., illus. £ 14.95. ISBN 0-00-219442-2. The volume is written in fulfilment of the source-book contract of the Species Survival Commission (SSC) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). It is, in essence, one of the six source-books planned by IUCN to supplement the World Conservation Strategy. The volume reflects the development of the SSC's (and therefore the IUCN's) ever- changing and evolving thinking and policy development on species conservation. It is in two parts: The past and present of genetic resources and The future of genetic resources. The volume is written by Richard Fitter, one of the world's leading natural history writers and a long time member of the SSC. A Glossary of International Institutions is given in the Appendix and there is a very helpful Select Bibliography. The Oxford book of British bird names. W. B. Lockwood. Oxford University Press, Oxford, New York, 1984. ix + 174pp. £ 7.95. ISBN 0 19 214155 4. The book is the first work of its kind 'to provide informed accounts of the history and the origin of English bird names' — including all the commoner birds and a fair sample of the less usual visitors. The items are arranged in dictionary form for easy reference. The book is of value to both ornithologists and etymologists. The author, Professor of Germanic and Indo- European Philology in the University of Reading from 1968-1982, has made an extensive study of bird names. Birdwatcher's Britain. The unique pocket guide to birdwatching walks. Edited by John Parslow. Pan Books, London/Ordnance Survey, Southampton, 1983. 256pp., illus. £ 4.95. Pan ISBN 0 333 28028 7 (Paperback); 0 330 28109 7 (Hardback); OS ISBN 0 319 00020 6. The aim of the book is 'to help guide bird watchers in the direction of the birds. So the walks have been selected to cover not just a wide geographical area but an extremely wide variety of habitats and hence different bird communities and species'. England, Scotland and Wales are covered county by county in a sequence corresponding to the Ordnance Survey's grid reference system. The principal contributors for the Welsh counties are: Roger Lovegrove, Stephanie Tyler and Graham Williams. Specific areas described include: Kenfig Pool and Dunes (Mid Glamorgan); Peterstone Wentlooge (South Glamorgan); Llanthony Valley (Gwent); Bosherston Pools and Dinas Head, Dinas Hill, Gwenffrwd, Ynys-Hir (Dyfed); Glaslyn and Bugeilyn Lakes and