Lonely Planet's new guidebook goes green-08 November, 2007

MELBOURNE - Lonely Planet's new "Australia" guidebook, published this month, will feature an all-new section called the GreenDex -- a quick-reference index of sustainable accommodation, tours and experiences to help visitors travel responsibly within the country.

With a growing number of travellers recognising the importance of travelling sustainably, Lonely Planet is steadily increasing the amount of responsible travel content in its guides.

In a recent Lonely Planet survey of 24,500 travellers worldwide, over 90 percent of people said they would consider travelling in a low-impact way in the future. The addition of the GreenDex to this new "Australia" guidebook enables travellers to easily look up the best eco experiences in the country.

Senior commissioning editor, Errol Hunt, said he hoped the new Australia guidebook would "help travellers ensure that their own travel leaves as light a 'footprint' as possible, while still being fun and enlightening."

The attractions, tours and accommodation choices listed in the GreenDex have all been selected by Lonely Planet authors because they demonstrate an active sustainable-tourism policy.

Some are involved in conservation or environmental education, and many are owned and operated by local and indigenous operators, thereby maintaining and preserving local identity and culture.

Some of the listings have also been certified by Ecotourism Australia, which means they meet high standards of environmental sustainability, business ethics and cultural sensitivity.

According to Hunt, "Tourism in Australia, as in any country, needs to respond to the increasing call for visible sustainable tourism options. There are lots of great Australian tourism operators doing this already.

"We hope that the new GreenDex in our "Australia" guide, and other similar initiatives, will drive other operators in the same direction, as they see that there's a clear financial advantage in operating an environmentally-sustainable business.

"The GreenDex follows Lonely Planet's philosophy of being selective rather than encyclopaedic – our guidebook doesn't list every single tourism operator in the country, and neither does our GreenDex list every business that's sustainable – it only lists companies that are sustainable and also recommended by our authors," said Hunt.

Following feedback from travellers, this new edition of "Australia" also re-focuses on the needs of budget and midrange travellers, and combines extensive coverage with features readers ask for: tips for getting around the country by car, camping and caravanning and the best of contemporary Indigenous Australia.

For this new "Australia" guidebook, the authors explored more remote places than ever before: from King Island off Tasmania in the far south to Tiwi Islands, off the Northern Territory in the far north.

Other highlights include top travel recommendations by well-known Australians, tips on volunteering, advice on seasonal work and a special "Driving Australia" chapter.

Lonely Planet's new guidebook goes green

Moon Handbooks Fiji by David Stanley

Would you rather trust a guidebook written by a twenty-something whose three month assignment was to travel around a certain area and write or would you rather trust a guy who spent twenty-something years living and traveling around these areas? That's the bio of David Stanley, the author of this book and this guy knows the in's and out's of Fiji. That's obvious when you pick up this book.

Fiji Handbook starts out with the most comprehensive background of Fiji I've found in competitive books, everything ranging from its history (including cannabalism!) right down to the shark population around the island. I always like to prime up on the place I'm traveling and this section is great for it.






The next section, a Fiji "overview" is very informative. It covers the basics such as getting to/from the island, communicating off the island, and accomodations around Fiji (like camping vs. hotels). This is pretty standard in any guidebook.

The meat of the book comes afterwards, which is broken down by island chains. It covers everything you would expect, including accomodations, hotels, beaches and attractions. Maps are outstanding -- not only do they have island maps, but major city maps too with post offices, restaurants and sights discussed in the text are labelled on the map.

Sharks of the World (Princeton Field Guides)

It's finally here -- THE DEFINITIVE and COMPLETELY (yes, very literally) EXHAUSTIVE shark guide. I've just picked up my copy and it still feels like a dream. As a serious shark enthusiast, this is the book that I have always dreamed about but has never existed, until now. If you're a shark enthusiast, it would be a tragedy not to acquire this book.





Here's why:

(1) There are lavish full color illustrations of every single species of shark known today -- 404 described species and 49 as-yet-undescribed species on 64 plates, each species in oblique view (not the usual profile shot), giving invaluable information on its shape in 3 dimensions. In addition to the most popular species (such as the great white or the blacktip reef shark), the least well known are also included in this book, such as Deania quadrispinosum or Etmopterus pusillus, or new species, such as Isistius labialis or Somniosus antarcticus. There are 3 plates of 18 species of angel sharks (Squatinidae)! All 5 species of Oxynotus are included! Nine species of saw shark (Pristiophoridae)!

(2) All breath-takingly accurate illustrations are by the same artist, ensuring consistent style. Mark Dando is among the most accomplished of shark artists; his attention to detail is truly astounding. As a discriminating and accomplished fellow natural history artist, I know what I'm talking about. Having said that, please understand that the illustrations chosen for the cover, while wonderfully accurate, are not representative of the exquisite skill demonstrated in his illustrations of more colorful species, such as the ornate wobbegong (Orectolobus ornatus). Therefore, at the risk of sinking in the mire of cliche, I nevertheless urge you not to judge this book by its cover!

(3) The work is truly exhaustive, not only in the number of species depicted. Where there is sufficient variation within a species, additional color illustrations depict sexual dimorphism, juvenile forms and races. All species are presented to scale with each other and a scale bar is provided for easy size comparisons.

(4) For those with a taste for the traditional practice of depicting sharks in profile line drawings, the illustrator satisfies in the textual portion of the book. Again, every single species is beautifully presented in a fine ink line drawing from the side (or from the top in angel sharks and saw sharks). With every species is included a detailed range map, and for most species the teeth are also illustrated. For many, the ventral view of the head is also presented.

(5) The text reads like a field guide, providing detailed notes on the measurements, distinguishing features, distribution, habitat, behavior, biology and status of each species, written by leading authorities on sharks. It even includes a checklist at the end so that shark watchers can record their sightings in the field.

I am completely confident that no shark enthusiast will be disappointed in this book. Seriously folks, the editorial review provided by the publisher for this book underestimates its worth. It's truly a gem and will probably remain the definitive reference and the ultimate field guide for a long, long time.

Nudibranchs and Sea Snails by Helmut Debelius

A beautiful book containing over 1020 color photos, depicting gastropods from the West Coast of the US to the Red Sea to South Africa.

Half of the book is devoted to gastropods with shells and half of the book concerned with those without shells(nudibranchs) all live and in their natural habitat. There is nothing so brightly colored as a nudibranch and to see one "swim" is pure joy. A must have for divers, aquarists and those who love nature.





Although there is some animals misidentified I find it still a good field guide and should be well received by anyone who appreciates beauty.

Technical Diving in Depth by B. R. Wienke

A long-awaited and much-needed title has just been released by BPC. "Technical Diving in Depth" by Bruce R. Wienke is the most complete and comprehensive reference work published to date on technical diving.

It contains a mixture of technical topics, with each one self-contained and developed in relationship to diving. The topics span many disciplines and focus on a number of technical arenas.

Topics Include:
Thermodynamics, pressure and density, mechanics, gas kinetics, free and dissolved phase transfer, energy and matter interactions, nucleation and cavitation, bubbles and surfactants, oxygen dose, gas mixtures, buoyancy, gauges and tanks, compressors and regulators, maladies and drugs, statistics, risk and probability, binomial distributions, waves, transport, currents, geology, oceanography, geophysics, solar energy and radiation. References and Appendix are also included.

Targeted Audience:
Technical diver, commercial diver, diving instructor, underwater researcher, doctors, hyperbaric technicians, physiologist, physicist, chemist, mathematician, engineer or biologist.

Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II

This is one of those rare books that you know within the first dozen pages it's going to be a great read and you're going to be disappointed when it ends. Robert Kurson's tremendous research combined with a great historical narrative style results in learning not only about the lives of the living players such as Chatterton and Kohler, but the dead sailors on the submarine as well.

While this is Kurson's book, you can see the extensive contribution provided by Chatterton, Kohler and others who shared the experience. This book fits beautifully with "The Last Dive", which I reviewed here a few years ago. I did learn things here, which surprised me relative to "The Last Dive". I thought they had been doing mixed-gas diving much longer on U-869 then just before the Rouse's arrival. Chapter 2 is about the dangers of wreck diving and sets the stage of what to expect throughout the remainder of the book.

Kurson makes sure the reader understands this wasn't just a bunch of treasure hunters looking for some "stuff". These guys respected this dive site as sacred resting place for these German sailors and their actions (including their own research) supported that belief. And in the end, I was right...it was a disappointment to see it end.

Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II

This is one of those rare books that you know within the first dozen pages it's going to be a great read and you're going to be disappointed when it ends. Robert Kurson's tremendous research combined with a great historical narrative style results in learning not only about the lives of the living players such as Chatterton and Kohler, but the dead sailors on the submarine as well.

While this is Kurson's book, you can see the extensive contribution provided by Chatterton, Kohler and others who shared the experience. This book fits beautifully with "The Last Dive", which I reviewed here a few years ago. I did learn things here, which surprised me relative to "The Last Dive". I thought they had been doing mixed-gas diving much longer on U-869 then just before the Rouse's arrival. Chapter 2 is about the dangers of wreck diving and sets the stage of what to expect throughout the remainder of the book.

Kurson makes sure the reader understands this wasn't just a bunch of treasure hunters looking for some "stuff". These guys respected this dive site as sacred resting place for these German sailors and their actions (including their own research) supported that belief. And in the end, I was right...it was a disappointment to see it end.

Whales & Dolphins (Smithsonian Handbooks)

A beautifully illustrated guide to every species of whale, dolphin and porpoise. Covers their identification, evolution, biology, behaviour, reproduction and social lives. Includes tips on how and where to watch whales, dolphins and porpoises, and information on their conservation.





From the great illustrations and quick-reference title bar that includes taxonomic, habitat and population information, to the range maps and behavioral information, this book was such a steal. I received this book shortly before starting cetacean surveys in the south pacific and it was an incredible source of information. I have used many field guides and, although I never tested its 'water-proofness", it is simultaneously concise yet complete. It not only gives identification keys for individual species, but also keys to identifying individual animals. If you are a teacher, student, biologist or enthusiast, get it, wherever you are in the world.

Coral Reef Fishes (Indo Pacific and Caribbean) – Edward Liesk and Robert Myers

Edward Liesk and Robert Myers
ISBN 0-00-711111-8

• small and very handy to use
  
• extremely detailed list of species, descriptions and habitats.
• This book uses illustrations rather than photos which highlight the species differences very well

Indo Pacific – CORAL REEF – Field Guide – Gerald R. Allen / Roger Steene

Gerald R. Allen / Roger Steene
ISBN 981-00-5687-7





This book covers not just fish but the full spectrum of underwater natural history.
As a field guide it is not detailed and is for use as a quick photo reference.
The great thing is that the pages are water resistant so you can take it out on the boat or kayak for instant reference

Reef Fish Identification (Tropical Pacific)

Gerald Allen / Roger Steene / Paul Humann / Ned Deloach
ISBN 1-878348-36-1

• This book is packed full of great photographs
• covers a detailed list of species
• More for photo id than detailed descriptions but it has shows juvenile and variations better than probably any other book

Reef and Shore Fishes of the South Pacific

John E. Randal

ISBN 0-8248-2698-1

• A great coffee table book
  
• huge with thousands of photos
• very detailed fish descriptions with behaviours and habitats

Must have books for self confessed ‘Fish Geeks’ ad other natural history lovers

A lot of us divers take great pleasure in identifying the things we see underwater. For me, it is mainly fish id which interests me and I am always hoping to spot the unusual or maybe even discover something new!

Even after 5 years of diving in Fiji I rarely dive without seeing something new and the great thing is that the more you know, the more you discover. There are some great books available to help with fish id and all give you the basic skills necessary to remember key details about the fish during a dive so you can remember it later on.

There are also some less detailed books but which give you a broader overview on marine and terrestrial natural history. Be aware that the common names for fish in the books vary so look to the Latin name to be sure you are comparing the same species from one book to another.

I am going to try to post some of my favourite fish id books for our region in the next few weeks as posts, and will keep on doing it as I fall in love with them.