Content Index

"'Forsaken Spot' to 'Classic Ground': Geological Heritage in Australia and the Recuperative Power of the Deep Past"

This study seeks to construct a theory of geological heritage and the redemptive or recuperative power of material remains of the deep past, concentrating on three landscapes.

"Soil Erosion, Scientists and the Development of Conservation Tillage Techniques in the Queensland Sugar Industry, 1935–1995"

Drawing upon archival documents, government reports and published accounts of agricultural scientists, this paper aims to document how officers of the Queensland Bureau of Sugar Experiment Stations and the Soil Conservation Branch of the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Stock (later Primary Industries) tried to develop soil conservation methods suited to land cropped with sugar cane.

"A History of the Hima Conservation System"

The paper reviews the changes that have taken place in Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen with regard to the hima—a reserved pasture, where trees and grazing lands are protected from indiscriminate harvest on a temporary or permanent basis.

"The History (1620–2003) of Land Use, People and Livestock, and the Relationship to Present Plant Species Diversity in a Rural Landscape in Sweden"

The objectives of this study were to describe changes in land use during c. 350 years in a Swedish agricultural landscape in relation to changes in human population and livestock, and to analyse relationships between historical land use and present-day plant species diversity.

"National Metabolism and Communications Technology Development in the United States, 1790–2000"

National metabolism of the US grew exponentially from 1790 to 2000, increasing 1600 per cent…

"Selling the Space Age: NASA and Earth's Environment, 1958–1990"

McQuaid advances the view that NASA consistently misread the importance of the most popular science-based political movement of the late twentieth century.

"Winds of Colonisation: The Meteorological Contours of Spain's Imperium in the Pacific 1521–1898"

This paper examines the relationship between prevailing weather systems and colonialism in the context of Spanish possessions in the Pacific from Magellan till the end of the nineteenth century.

"Empires of Forestry: Professional Forestry and State Power in Southeast Asia, Part 1"

This two-part paper examines the origins, spread, and practices of professional forestry in Southeast Asia, focusing on key sites in colonial and post-colonial Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

"The Rivers Come: Colonial Flood Control and Knowledge Systems in the Indus Basin, 1840s–1930s"

This essay traces the development of the physical and cultural infrastructure of colonial flood control in the Indus valley.

"Reconciling Foreshore Development and Dune Erosion on Three Queensland Beaches: An Historical Perspective"

This paper examines the historical development of three beaches, and the subsequent implications for the beaches during the inevitable big seas and cyclones. This coastal environmental history informs local coastal communities about the importance of foresight in protecting dune systems in their natural state.