Summary

An important prerequisite for successful conservation is a good understanding of what we seek to conserve. Nowhere is this more the case than in the fight to protect plant biodiversity, which is threatened by human activity in many regions worldwide. This book is written in the belief that tools that enable more people to understand biodiversity can not only aid protection efforts but also contribute to rural livelihoods. Among the most important of those tools is the field guide.

Plant Identification provides potential authors of field guides with practical advice about all aspects of producing user-friendly guides which help to identify plants for the purposes of conservation, sustainable use, participatory monitoring or greater appreciation of biodiversity.

The book draws on both scientific and participatory processes, supported by the experience of contributors from across the tropics. It presents a core process for producing a field guide, setting out key steps, options and techniques available to the authors of a guide and, through illustration, helps authors choose methods and media appropriate to their context.

Choice Review

People and plants naturally intersect on the pages of a field guide. This groundbreaking text by Lawrence and Hawthorne (both, Oxford Univ.) demonstrates this principle and will help many naturalists create really good field guides for years to come. A comprehensive guide to such a complex topic is long overdue. The authors begin with a discussion of the political potential of a field guide to improve the natural environment, and conclude with the details of illustrations, intellectual property, publishing, usability tests, and the characters most suitable for use in a field guide. Innumerable samples include drawings, color photos, and case studies from the tropics. Although the emphasis is on static print guides, the authors also discuss a variety of dynamic electronic guides with surprising thoroughness. They give a great deal of attention to the topic of getting feedback from users, including a nice flow chart that shows how various steps work together, e.g., design and format. Structurally, however, the text is difficult to follow, with its multiple inset boxes, tables, and case studies. But the authors' insightful analysis of what goes into making a great field guide outweighs the awkward organization of the text. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. Upper-level undergraduates and above. T. Johnson formerly, Arizona State University