Arcadia

Arcadia, 2013, no. 19

Northern Bison Sanctuary or Big Ranch? Wood Buffalo National Park

John Sandlos

The Canadian government established the Wood Buffalo National Park in 1922 to protect a remnant herd of wood bison. The park has become North America’s biggest national park and is still home to the largest free-roaming herd of wood bison. However, the park’s wildlife has also been subject to some of the most intrusive and ill-conceived management interventions in Canadian history.

Arcadia, 2013, no. 18

Munich and Its Isar River: A Rafting Port on an Alpine River

Georg Jochum

The construction of a bridge over the Isar River was a crucial factor in the foundation of the city of Munich in 1158.

Arcadia, 2013, no. 17

Removing the People: The Creation of Canada’s Kouchibouguac National Park

Ronald Rudin

The creation of Kouchibouguac National Park along Canada’s Atlantic coast in the province of New Brunswick came at the cost of removing 1,200 residents from their lands.

Arcadia, 2013, no. 16

Warriors of the Rainbow: The Birth of an Environmental Mythology

Frank Zelko

Greenpeace pioneer Bob Hunter was heavily influenced by Native American mythology and thus created the image of Greenpeace activists as “Rainbow Warriors.”

Arcadia, 2013, no. 15

Resources and Revolution: Mexico’s Iztaccíhuatl and Popocatépetl National Park

Emily Wakild

On 8 November 1935, Mexico’s president, Lázaro Cárdenas (1934–1940), established the Iztaccíhuatl and Popocatépetl National Park, the first of nearly forty national parks he would create within the next few years. By 1940, Mexico had more parks than any other country in the world.

Arcadia, 2013, no. 14

Karabash: The City of Pollution

Anna Semenenko

Karabash is one of the largest copper-smelting centers in Russia and open-pit copper extraction has been conducted there since 1837. In 1996, Karabash and its surrounding area were declared an ecological disaster zone. The city is still considered to be one of the most polluted places in the world.

Arcadia, 2013, no. 13

The Triglav National Park: A Century-Long Project

Carolin Roeder

The Triglav National Park in the Julian Alps is a sanctuary for alpine flora and fauna; it is also important for the national narratives of the young Republic of Slovenia. Conflicts over land use and preservation reach back to the times of the Yugoslav monarchy.

Arcadia, 2013, no. 12

South African Eden – The Kruger National Park

Jane Carruthers

Striving to create a “South African Eden,” the Kruger National Park was established in 1926 under the leadership of warden James Stevenson-Hamilton. Since this time, the park has developed into one the greatest and most renowned game reserves in the world.

Arcadia, 2013, no. 11

Losing the Unruly Stream: Kondopoga and the Kivach Waterfall

Grigory Suzi

In 1929, the Kondopoga hydroelectric power station was built and resulted in the damming of Lake Girvas and the diversion of the Suna River. This transformation of landscape resulted in the near loss of one of Russia’s foremost nature sites: the Kivach waterfall.

Arcadia, 2013, no. 10

St. Petersburg and Its Backbone: The Neva River as Gateway to Europe and the Sword of Damocles

Alexei Kraikovski

Since its foundation in 1703, the history of St. Petersburg is closely linked to the Neva River. The Neva is the biggest and the most important river in the Eastern Baltic. The citizens of St. Petersburg constructed complex technologies of river control that enabled them to live cheek by jowl with the mighty and self-willed stream.

About Arcadia

Arcadia: Explorations in Environmental History is an open-access, peer-reviewed publication platform for short, illustrated, and engaging environmental histories. Embedded in a particular time and place, each story focuses on a site, event, person, organization, or species as it relates to nature and human society. By publishing digitally on the Environment & Society Portal, Arcadia promotes accessibility and visibility of original research in global environmental history and cognate disciplines.

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