Plants for People - Hardcover

Lewington, Anna

4.12

8 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195208404 ISBN 13: 9780195208405

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1990

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This fascinating book describes the countless and often surprising ways in which we use plants in everyday life. Beautifully illustrated with hundreds of photographs and drawings, most in full color, Plants for People documents the vital role of plant-derived material in industrial products, consumer goods, fashion, cosmetics, and many other common items. And it shows how the average person benefits from hundreds of plant products during the course of a typical day, often without even knowing it. However the relentless advance of industrialization, global population growth, and environmental mismanagement have caused the extinction of thousands of plant species, and many more are threatened. Thus, the awareness of our dependence on the plant kingdom has never been more vital. Here, the author traces the origin of modern products to their roots in areas as diverse as the Amazon rainforest and the lavender fields of France, and looks too at the ecologically sound uses native people make of plants, including techniques for creating shelter, clothing, food products, and herbal medicines. These are uses that hold immense potential for a modern world confronting the destructive impact of technology and waste. The author is a world traveller and ethnobotanist. Her book is immensely readable and informative. It will appeal to everyone--from high-school students to amateur botanists to general readers--interested in the amazing variety of the natural world and its boundless importance in everyday life.

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From the Inside Flap:

Underpinned by the philosophy of the Eden Project - that plants are crucial to human life - the book deals with organics, bio-piracy and the Fair Trade movement. It emphasizes that biodiversity and respect for plant cultures the world over is key to our survival.

About the Author:

Anna Lewington is a well-known writer and researcher who specializes in ethnobotany: the uses people make of plants. She has conducted research in Peru, Ecuador, Brazil and Chile, and has a wide knowledge of the (often controversial) industrial uses of plants - from GM soya beans to the endangered wild species used in some herbal medicines. Anna has worked for many different organizations, from the World Wide Fund for Nature to the British Government, and took part in BBC TV's first 'Rough Science' series. Anna has a long-standing interest in the indigenous people and cultures of Latin America. She has also worked with rubber tappers in Brazil, the indigenous people of Chile's Atacama desert, and Andean communities. Anna's other books include ANCIENT TREES (with her photographer husband Edward Parker), an ATLAS OF RAINFORESTS, ANTONIO'S RAINFOREST and five educational books for children. Anna lives with her family in Dorset.

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