Chris Park offers a comprehensive reference work containing over 8,500 informative entries on all aspects of the environment and conservation, embracing a broad spectrum of concerns, including sustainable development, biodiversity, environmental ethics, philosophy and history, resource management, sociology, and environmental policy. In addition to its wide-ranging, concise definitions, the Dictionary includes thirty highlighted entries on topics such as Antarctica, Chernobyl, the Kyoto Protocol, and ozone depletion. And unlike other books in this area, the dictionary addresses not only the scientific side of conservation and the environment, but also social, legal, political and economic aspects. Readers will find clear, concise coverage of international treaties and movements as well as biographies of key figures in environmental science. The volume also boasts wide coverage of terms relating to rural/community development and participation, an area that plays an increasingly crucial role in managing the environment and biodiversity. The dictionary concludes with a valuable selection of 10 appendices, including the Beaufort scale and the Torino asteroid and comet impact hazard scale, plus the geologic timescale and an appendix of useful websites for further study.