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Wetland Weeds: Causes, Cures and Compromises Nick Romanowski CSIRO Publishing , Collingwood , 2011 . xi + 140 pp. Price AUD $49.95. ISBN: 9780643103955 (paperback).

Wetland Weeds: Causes, Cures and Compromises Nick Romanowski CSIRO Publishing , Collingwood ,... My interest in this book stemmed from having worked on the biology and control of a number of wetland weeds over a number of years, and recently realising that despite greatly improved communication media, many people still lacked access to the basic information about the same plants. This book, with an attractive cover, provides more useful information on the problems caused by wetland weeds and their prevention, control and management. It also provides a description of the causes of weediness and the unpredictability of wetland weeds. The text is well written and not laced with turgid technical language nor acronyms. The reader has access to more information, and it is easy to read. I particularly liked the short text on weedscapes – this conjures up a mental picture of weed‐dominated landscapes. It also enables the author to make the important point that people can view weeds very differently – some of them are attractive or are seen as desirable. This very situation begs the need for further readily accessible information on wetland weeds, and advice on their management. The text on controlling wetland weeds runs emphasises the value of assessing and planning any management or control programme, and how restricting further spread is the first tier of defence against further problems. Physical, chemical and biological control methods all get a mention, as do methods to reduce the light levels available for submerged species, and competitive plantings. The centrepiece of the book is the colour plates. These are very useful – we need to know what we are looking at. The photographs are generally reasonable, and the plants are recognisable, but I think the captions could have been better presented. Something as simple as using bold text for the species names would enhance their readability. There are 32 plates. The final part of the book is a compendium or encyclopaedia of information about major and minor weeds. This is a useful reference source, although the information is in places uneven. It ends with some short text on algae and Cyanobacteria and seaweeds – not something that I was expecting, but still useful. My overall impression, it is a handy book and useful for the many people who nowadays want to invest their time and manage the many weeds that unfortunately have invaded our valuable, but diminishing wetlands. Review by Prof C. M. Finlayson, Institute for Land, Water & Society, Charles Sturt University, PO Box 789, Albury 2640, New South Wales, Australia. Email: mfinlayson@csu.edu.au http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Ecological Management & Restoration Wiley

Wetland Weeds: Causes, Cures and Compromises Nick Romanowski CSIRO Publishing , Collingwood , 2011 . xi + 140 pp. Price AUD $49.95. ISBN: 9780643103955 (paperback).

Ecological Management & Restoration , Volume 14 (2) – May 1, 2013
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Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
© 2013 Ecological Society of Australia
ISSN
1442-7001
eISSN
1442-8903
DOI
10.1111/emr.12046
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

My interest in this book stemmed from having worked on the biology and control of a number of wetland weeds over a number of years, and recently realising that despite greatly improved communication media, many people still lacked access to the basic information about the same plants. This book, with an attractive cover, provides more useful information on the problems caused by wetland weeds and their prevention, control and management. It also provides a description of the causes of weediness and the unpredictability of wetland weeds. The text is well written and not laced with turgid technical language nor acronyms. The reader has access to more information, and it is easy to read. I particularly liked the short text on weedscapes – this conjures up a mental picture of weed‐dominated landscapes. It also enables the author to make the important point that people can view weeds very differently – some of them are attractive or are seen as desirable. This very situation begs the need for further readily accessible information on wetland weeds, and advice on their management. The text on controlling wetland weeds runs emphasises the value of assessing and planning any management or control programme, and how restricting further spread is the first tier of defence against further problems. Physical, chemical and biological control methods all get a mention, as do methods to reduce the light levels available for submerged species, and competitive plantings. The centrepiece of the book is the colour plates. These are very useful – we need to know what we are looking at. The photographs are generally reasonable, and the plants are recognisable, but I think the captions could have been better presented. Something as simple as using bold text for the species names would enhance their readability. There are 32 plates. The final part of the book is a compendium or encyclopaedia of information about major and minor weeds. This is a useful reference source, although the information is in places uneven. It ends with some short text on algae and Cyanobacteria and seaweeds – not something that I was expecting, but still useful. My overall impression, it is a handy book and useful for the many people who nowadays want to invest their time and manage the many weeds that unfortunately have invaded our valuable, but diminishing wetlands. Review by Prof C. M. Finlayson, Institute for Land, Water & Society, Charles Sturt University, PO Box 789, Albury 2640, New South Wales, Australia. Email: mfinlayson@csu.edu.au

Journal

Ecological Management & Restoration – Wiley

Published: May 1, 2013

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