Description

This is a major and innovative contribution to the environmental history of settler societies and of South Africa. The Cape, like Australia, became a major exporter of wool. Vast numbers of sheep flooded its semi-arid plains and rapidly transformed its fragile natural pastures. This book analyses the development of conservationalist ideas over the long term in South Africa as a response to these problems.

Features

• One of the first major works on the environmental history of South Africa
• Offers a reinterpretation of South Africa's economic development

Reviews

"This is a meticulous work, and perhaps a milestone in the historiography of South Africa, not only for drawing attention to the rural economy and environment of the Karoo and Cape Midlands, but for its dispassionate and politically neutral tone of addressing fundamental issues central to South Africa's agrarian environmental history."--The Historian

"Beinart's methods are scrupulous, and his book contains a wealth of information for other scholars. The beautifully structured narrative begins with European travelers and scientists and moves into the problems of fire and plant survival, sheep and cattle viruses, drought, irrigation, and introduced species."--American Historical Review

Product Details

456 pages; 3 maps, 13 figures, 3 tables, 17 halftones; ISBN13: 978-0-19-926151-2ISBN10: 0-19-926151-2

About the Author(s)