The New Key to Costa Rica

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With a special focus on ecotourism, the authors of The New Key to Costa Rica help you discover the diversity of this colorful country's remarkable flora and fauna (from tree ferns to sloths) and learn ways you can contribute to efforts to preserve it. A well-researched sustainability rating highlights lodgings that are active in protecting an environmental, economic, and cultural balance.

The book offers complete coverage of sights, lodging, dining, and outdoor adventures, including wildlife viewing, parks and reserves, surfing, fishing, horseback riding, and diving. --Kathryn True

Book Description

The original guide to Costa Rica, updated with even more insider secrets, features extensive travel information plus in-depth coverage of the natural environment and advice on taking a ecotourist vacation. Includes recommendations and details over 50 specific hotels that practice sustainable tourism. Co-authored by a dedicated conservationist who lived in Costa Rica for
12 years, it covers the entire country from 44 beaches on two oceans to 38 national parks, 13 volcanoes, and 3 cloud forests.

Customer Reviews:

A must read for CR relocators!.......2007-05-14

We have been to CR for a visit and are now considering the BIG move. This book covers every you would need to know and surprises you with information you didn't think of. We have even shared this information with our family that has lived there for 5 years and it has helped them. It also gave a brief but interesting history of Costa Rica as well as current government, economics and culture. Does a good job of explaining the cultural differences which are most important to the person considering a move anywhere! One thing I might stress... the author states several times that English is taught in the schools. This might lead you to believe that you will have little problem with communication. In our trip last year to the Central Valley and the Pacific Coast we did not meet one person that understood us or could speak to us in English. I highly advise, begin you Spanish Lessons before your anticipated trip!

Great Guide!.......2007-03-23

This guide was the better of the two I bought....and the other one was Fodor's. New Key was accurate, impartial, and covered lots of different kinds of stuff....

Invaluable - ultra-reliable eco-tourism guide.......2007-03-06

I used this book, and the community-based eco-tourism agency recommended in this book, to plan a two-week trip. I was alone, female, and non-Spanish speaking. I had the time of my life. Everything went off without a hitch. Great people, waterfalls, food, views, and adventures galore. Thanks to the author. None of the other guidebooks came close to the insight and accuracy of this guide.

Excellent.......2006-11-17

[...]The 18th edition of New Key to Costa Rica improves upon a veritable classic.

2006 marks the 30th anniversary of the guidebook which guides travelers toward
tasteful family-run lodgings and communities that are actively protecting the rural environment.

Written in a style that feels like a conversation with a travel guide, the New Key provides countless insights about the culture, the environment and the people of Costa Rica.

First authored by Jane Wallace, the book was then updated by her daughter Beatrice Blake and Anne Becher. Beatrice prepared this edition alone, but it is easy to see that the text has been guided by a number of joyful souls.

In 1992 this book was the first guidebook to use a green-rating system. In this edition, the rating system is downplayed in favor of focusing on community efforts.

Focusing on family farm visits allows Blake to show travelers the connections among organic agriculture, appropriate energy technology and diverse ecosystems. She writes: "By visiting these communities, not only will you meet some lovely people, but you will be inspired by their ability to put innovative principles into practice."

For travelers wishing to experience tropical nature, there is no better immersion than visiting the communities that are at the forefront of conservation.

Exciting adventure sports are not omitted. One of the highlights of the book is a review of the country's best canopy tours. Additional "adventure reports" showcase innovative efforts throughout the country.

Among the informative sidebars are capsule reviews of the Talamanca Ecotourism Network, the Sarapiquí Conservation Learning Center and turtle watching at Ostional Wildlife Refuge.

New Key to Costa Rica covers all the bases - from the practical details of deciding when and where to go to tips on learning Spanish and volunteer vacations. For those seeking an eco trip, this book is a must.

This is it, the real thing.......2006-04-25

Absolutely the best of the four (you can guess the other three) books we took, because this on focuses on the off-beat and the green. Use it to locate the indepth Costa Rica, the one that gets you away from everyone else and makes you feel happy about it.

Marine Mammals: Fisheries, Tourism and Mangement Issues

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Marine Mammals: Fisheries, Tourism and Mangement Issues

Manufacturer: CSIRO Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Marine Mammals: Fisheries, Tourism and Management Issues brings together contributions from 68 leading scientists from 12 countries to provide a comprehensive, up-to-date review on the way we manage our interactions with whales, dolphins, seals and dugongs. The book examines how we have fared conserving the world's marine mammal populations, with a focus on the key issues of fisheries and tourism.

From a unique southern hemisphere perspective, the authors consider how science informs the culling debate, how wild fisheries and aquaculture interact with marine mammal populations and how we might manage the effects of whale, dolphin and seal watching industries. The authors also address other issues such as the way in which ethics, genetics, acoustics, ecosystem models and pollution influence the management and conservation of marine mammals.

Book Description

This title contains color illustrations and photos of more than 620 of Florida's most common insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, and plants - the species you are most likely to see. It contains information for identifying and locating these animals as well as their ecology, behavior, and conservation. Florida is an easy-to-carry, entertainingly written, and beautifully illustrated book.

Key Features
* Identifies location and conservation information on the most frequently sighted animals
* Contains photos and information on Florida habitats and commonly encountered plants
* Includes brief descriptions of the region's most visited parks and reserves

Customer Reviews:

Florida's gems.......2002-02-23

This book is a must for every Flordian and Florda visitor who wants to explore the "inside" of a fascinating state. The authors provide a short, but very interesting summary of the geography and geology of the state as well as of the biology of plants and animals and their habitat.
I personnally liked the section on "parks and reserves" which provides insider recommendation which are not found in any other Florida tourist guide. My family and I have explored several of the recommended sites and have truly found some of Florida's gems. The book is full of links to other interesting web-sites and provides telephone numbers for many information sites.
About 400 pages are dedicated to the identification of plants and animals in Florida. The plants and animals are classified as "native" and "non-native" ("native" and "introduced"), which I found very interesting. Further information about clasification, ecology and behavior and conservation status is provided for each organisms. The habitat and the region of occurance is clearly described.
This is the best book about Flroda's nature I ever came across and I would like to highly recommend this volume of the "Ecotraveller" to anyone coming to visit or live in Florida. - This book truly highlights the gems of wild Florida.

Spectacular Nature: Corporate Culture and the Sea World Experience

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Cuts through the kitsch like a deathwatch beetle
its decent reading, but uncaptivating

Spectacular Nature: Corporate Culture and the Sea World Experience
Susan G. Davis
Manufacturer: University of California Press
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0520209818

Book Description

This is the story of Sea World, a theme park where the wonders of nature are performed, marketed, and sold. With its trademark star, Shamu the killer whale--as well as performing dolphins, pettable sting rays, and reproductions of pristine natural worlds--the park represents a careful coordination of shows, dioramas, rides, and concessions built around the theme of ocean life. Susan Davis analyzes the Sea World experience and the forces that produce it: the theme park industry; Southern California tourism; the privatization of urban space; and the increasing integration of advertising, entertainment, and education. The result is an engaging exploration of the role played by images of nature and animals in contemporary commercial culture, and a precise account of how Sea World and its parent corporation, Anheuser-Busch, succeed. Davis argues that Sea World builds its vision of nature around customers' worries and concerns about the environment, family relations, and education.
While Davis shows the many ways that Sea World monitors its audience and manipulates animals and landscapes to manufacture pleasure, she also explains the contradictions facing the enterprise in its campaign for a positive public identity. Shifting popular attitudes, animal rights activists, and environmental laws all pose practical and public relations challenges to the theme park. Davis confronts the park's vast operations with impressive insight and originality, revealing Sea World as both an industrial product and a phenomenon typical of contemporary American culture. Spectacular Nature opens an intriguing field of inquiry: the role of commercial entertainment in shaping public understandings of the environment and environmental problems.

Customer Reviews:

Cuts through the kitsch like a deathwatch beetle.......2003-07-23

A devastating deconstruction of Sea World that gives jagged substance to the nagging feeling of dislocation and coercion that most of us feel when we are in a corporate theme park. Its also a handbook for rescuing environmentalism from greenwashers and the corporate media. Finally, its a sustained hymn of pure hatred and contempt, and everyone loves to read abuse. Enjoy!

its decent reading, but uncaptivating.......2001-03-15

Susan G. Davis's Spectacular Nature: Corporate Culture and the Sea World Experience examines Sea World from "economic, local historical, spatial, and experimental perspectives, as well as the point of view of its management and at least some of its customers. Her thesis encompasses the representation of nature and the environment by private corporations; Davis states that Sea World represents new private institutional uses for nature mainly as a product for mass consumption. Davis's primary objective is to discover a connection between public meanings, mass entertainment, and private enterprise as she tries to "understand the theme park form and its appeal to its customers, as well as critical questions about Sea World's cultural meanings and effects." Spectacular Nature makes one think more critically about their theme park experiences, specifically the place of the amusement park in society and American culture. It does this by proposing a question of intent: Is the theme park strictly here as a business enterprise with the purpose of making profit, or does it seek to be an environmental activist and educational philanthropist. Davis argues that Sea World is a combination of all three worlds; "it styles itself an urban public resource, a site of animal rehabilitation, marine conservation, research, and education." She argues that large corporations are responsible for shaping our culture by producing the locales of America's families. It is a bit disappointing when Davis reaffirms the fact that American culture is based on commercial centers funded by big corporations. One would think that there is more to our great hegemonic nation besides theme parks, movie theatres surrounded by an extremely commercial environment, shopping malls, and minors singing awful pop music. In Orange County, Davis notes that Disney has a tremendous influence and is planning on building a themed community to help demonstrate the redefining of social space. Not only are theme parks culturally relevant in our society, but also Sea World and other parks like it are replacing forest trails and lakesides as means of appreciating nature. Apparently some people believe that going to an environment with confined animals affirms their identity as caring, sensitive, and educated individuals that is possibly reinforced by the Sea World announcer saying "you show you care just by being here." She makes the point that nature has become an object for consumption and empathy. Unlike most money grubbing theme parks, Davis clarifies that Sea World at least offers educational programs to poor and unfortunate children. Although a field trip to Sea World isn't as educational as a trip to the tide pools, it provides excellent hands on experience for the hundreds of thousands of students from first grade to college. Davis states that the educational enrichment experience is slightly tainted by the Kodak moment with the children feeding and petting all the various wildlife. She also explains that despite all the parks educational efforts its first priority is to provide its parent corporation, Anheiser-Busch with a "fair rate of return." Another issue raised in Spectacular Nature is the matter of animal captivity. Of course animal rights activists want the animals in the wild ocean where they can swim freely without the constraints of their swimming pools. They also think that performing tricks and wearing props is demeaning towards the animals. Sea World has changed the whale acts and eliminated the props to make them seem more natural. Sea World wishes everyone to know that their animal performers are happy and cheerful, and if they weren't, there would not be a show. Shamu is Sea World's representative and Davis explains that the killer whale serves as a "mediator for the audience, Anheiser-Busch, and the larger corporate world. One of the most troubling factors of Spectacular Nature is that opens your eyes to the dominance of corporate America in shaping our lives and culture. There is no getting away from it because major corporations such as Proctor & Gamble and Anheiser-Busch distribute almost everything we consume. Even when we want to get away from suburbia and indulge in nature's majesty we either have to drive for hours or go to a zoo. I live in Orange County and I'm not pleased with Disney's continuous expansion because I fear one day my community will be a corporate stretch of neighborhoods. Davis doesn't intend to make us despise corporations she makes us more aware of their force in our culture.

Seneca Ray Stoddard: Transforming the Adirondack Wilderness in Text and Image

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Seneca Ray Stoddard: Transforming the Adirondack Wilderness in Text and Image
Jeffery L. Horrell
Manufacturer: Syracuse University Press
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Binding: Hardcover

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Managing Wildlife Habitat on Golf Courses

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Managing Wildlife Habitat on Golf Courses
Ronald G. Dodson
Manufacturer: Wiley
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ASIN: 157504028X

Book Description

Managing Wildlife Habitat on Golf Courses is written for those who care about golf and the environment. It provides a practical framework for environmentally sensitive land management practices. This book is the perfect resource for anyone striving to maintain the traditions of the game, enhance the natural environment of their golf course, and gain support for their efforts.

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Wildlife Tourism (Aspects of Tourism)
David Newsome , Ross K. Dowling , and Susan A. Moore
Manufacturer: Multilingual Matters Limited
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Binding: Paperback

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Natural Area Tourism: Ecology, Impacts, and Management (Aspects of Tourism4)

ASIN: 1845410068

Book Description

Key Features - A landmark contribution to the field - Explores wildlife tourism's foundations in science, conservation and policy - Valuable for researchers, students, industry professionals, planners and government employees

Book Description

Luxury safaris, wilderness backpacking, zoos, aquaria and safari parks all form part of the increasingly successful wildlife tourism industry. This book looks at the ways in which tourists interact with wildlife, examining the results of this contact and the management problems which can result. The work presents examples of good and bad practices in wildlife management and a balanced discussion of the interests and issues at stake. Questions are included at the end of each chapter.

Brazil-Amazon and Pantanal (Ecotravellers Wildlife Guides)

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Not a field guide, but a good read
Brazil-Amazon
good reference for specific ecosystems

Brazil-Amazon and Pantanal (Ecotravellers Wildlife Guides)
Paulson
Manufacturer: Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0125480520

Book Description

Brazil: Amazon and Pantanal has all the information you need to find, identify, and learn about Brazil's magnificent animal and plant life. The authors, professional biologists, selected illustrations of more than 500 of Brazil's most common insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, and fish - the species you are most likely to see. In one easy-to-carry, entertainingly written, beautifully illustrated book, you will have: identifying and location information on the most frequently seen animals; up-to-date information on the ecology, behavior, and conservation of the animals; information on Brazil's habitats and on the most common plants you will encounter; brief descriptions of the most frequently visited parks and reserves in the Amazon and Pantanal regions.

Customer Reviews:

Not a field guide, but a good read.......2006-07-04

My wife bought this book for me for our recent trip to Brazil, including the Pantanal and southern Amazon. The book is excellent on some points, and severely lacking on others.

Since this book covers the gamut from insects to birds to reptiles to amphibians to mammals, I knew right from the start that it would have a very limited usefullness in terms of identifying individual species that we were seeing, and I was right. I was travelling with a couple of friends who are wildlife biologists. They too had the book. We all stopped carrying the book when we were out because it wasn't worth the weight in our packs. There are simply far too many species left out of this book for it to be useful as a field guide. With so many species, many of which look quite a bit alike, you will very rarely be certain that the animal you just saw is exactly the one in the book. For those who find it important to know exactly what you just saw, this book is not for you. If you can find it, Aves Brasiliera (All the Birds of Brazil) is a much better choice, IF you can find it. Our guide at the All the Birds of Brazil book, and it was far better, though obviously only covered a narrower topic than this book.

Now for the good. Before the trip, I read this book cover to cover, which is very unusual for me for "field guides". I found the book to be very well written, with good (though sometimes rather general, as I would expect) information about the ecology of the two regions, as well as general information about the species covered. Since Brazil contains many species that are vastly different than what I normally see in North America, I found the guide to be an excellent introduction for my trip, and though I only used it to identify individual species several times, I found that my detailed reading of it before the trip often useful in at least narrowing a bird down to type. So I could look at something and say, "Oh, that's a manakin of some kind." Beyond that, I relied on our EXCELLENT guide and his extensive knowledge or his birds of Brazil book.

To illustrate the above, this book contains (by quick count) plates and descriptions for 187 birds. During the nearly three weeks I was there, I saw 257 different species of birds, and I didn't see, and there are a lot of birds in the book that I didn't see. It's easy to do the math and figure out that the book is not good for (nor is it designed for) identification, per se.

So my recommendation: If you traveling to Brazil and don't already know a huge amount about the region, buy this book, read it before you go, maybe even take it with you as an evening reference, but for identifying individual species, you're better off using the knowledge of an experienced guide.

Oh, one other minor gripe. Despite the generally very high quality of the physical book itself, the humidity in Brazil appears to have accelerated the deterioration of the book. One would think that for a book designed to be taken to a wet climate, more care would have gone into making it withstand that climate. Maybe I just got a bad copy though.

So despite the short-comings of the book, which are largely by design, I give this book 4 stars. It is well done.

Brazil-Amazon.......2003-02-23

This book attempts to cover the whole gamut of wildlife for the Amazon basin and Pananal. It can't do it; no book can. It did make an admirable attempt and as such is a great book for the tourist traveling to the area. On a recent trip north of Manaus, it covered 98% of the bird life. It is concise enough that the occaisional bird wathcer will be able to identify most birds. It is not quite as adequate for other species- fish are very superficial, as are reptiles. I would like to see these expanded. This is a terrific guide for the tourist- concise, adequately complete, and easy to use.

good reference for specific ecosystems.......2002-07-31

I used this book for a recent trip to Brazil's Pantanal. The book is specific to only two geographic areas: The Pantanal and the Amazon, admittedly, Brazil's biggest natural draws. However, since the Pantanal and the Atlantic rainforest were my destinations, the book's usefulness was only partially utilized. Also, it is a heavy volume, and when considered with the other guidebooks I packed and used for cross-referencing, this book was by far the heftiest.

The book does fill a unique niche, that of ecology and natural history guide to these two unique wild places. No other book that is easily carried provides as much enjoyable natural history reading on the Amazon and Pantanal. The illustration plates are uniformly excellent, but it is not noted whether species occur outside of the Pantanal and Amazon. Many species do occur outside, as I quickly found out. Eliminating the rest of Brazil all together just seems a bit restricting. An average traveller to Brazil is most likely to make a stop in Rio de Janeiro, perhaps visit the easily accessible Parque National de Tijuca, and wonder if what they're seeing is that similar looking bird in their book.

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