Critique de Choice

This outstanding collection of papers, edited by Costanza (Maryland), Norton (Georgia Tech) and Haskell (Maryland), is the best single-volume treatment of the concept of ecosystem health. This book is important because in some circles ecosystem health is regarded to be the goal of ecological management, yet it is a very difficult concept to define and to understand. This volume brings together the perspectives of philosophers, economists, biologists, and geographers who address such issues as whether nature has a good of its own, clinical ecology, ecological integrity, and alternative models of ecosystem restoration. For the most part the contributors are committed to the usefulness of the idea of ecosystem health, so skepticism about this concept is not well represented; and as in all edited collections, the quality is uneven and the contributors do not always stick to the point. Still there are many first-rate essays including those by Callicott, Ehrenfeld, and Rapport. This volume will become the first stop for those who are interested in ecosystem health. Highly recommended for all academic and professional libraries. D. Jamieson University of Colorado at Boulder