Regional planning is imperative if North America has any hope of retaining continental biodiversity. This timely collection of essays that presents new protected area theory, method, and practice reinforces this theme of regional planning. With a North American focus, these essays consider the history, ecology, policy, and planning of protected areas while raising awareness of their contribution to society.

Contemporary understanding of protected areas are challenged as the book forces readers to move from a mentality of the past that saw protected areas as fortresses, to a wider understanding of where protected areas are seen as interdependent with other landscapes in the matters of biodiversity, ecological integrity,and environmental health. Public officials in resources and environmental management, NGOs concerned with parks and protected areas, and students of tourism, environment,and planning and education will find current ideology and application in this collection of essays by scholars from Canada, the United States, and Mexico.