Download or read book Our Islands, Our Selves written by David Christopher Young and published by Otago University Press. This book was released on 2004 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Beginning his history in antiquity, David Young follows the development of the New Zealand's conservationism from its first inhabitants to its "quarry economy" to its current problems of erosion, flooding, predator proliferation, and the loss of habitat and species. Throughout the volume, Young, the author of several books and essays about history and the environment, emphasises conservation's cultural origins. The text is beautifully illustrated with photographs of exotic flora and fauna, sketches, and portraits of conservation leaders.