Spotlight November 2018‐January 2019: Recent Publications of Interest

Attfield, Robin, Environmental Ethics: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK, 2019. Environmental philosopher Robin Attfield has produced a slim volume that puts into a nutshell key points that any ecologist ought to know about environmental ethics to inform the practice of ecology. This primer functions as a de facto abstract of what environmental ethics is and the principles for right action in a world where many ecosystems are highly vulnerable to anthropogenic impacts. Goldfarb, Ben, Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter. Chelsea Green Publishing, White River Junction, Vermont, 2018. Ecological research has identified the beaver's (Castor spp.) role as an ecosystem engineer and keystone species, and the ecological degradation that has ensued in places where beavers were extirpated to accommodate agriculture, or hunted and trapped to extinction to feed the fur trade's demand for pelts. Such removals set in place a chain reaction of trophic consequences that can be quite complex, but that include desertification in arid landscapes and local extinctions of many species that rely on beaver‐created wetlands. In this engaging book, award‐winning journalist Ben Goldfarb does an exemplary job of presenting beaver ecology in an integrated, interdisciplinary manner, tapping into environmental history, cultural anthropology, economics, and natural history, basing his account on his extensive time afield in 15 North American sites, ranging from the Bronx, New York, to Yellowstone, Wyoming, to the Methow Valley, Washington. Herman, R. D. K., Giving Back: Research and Reciprocity in Indigenous Settings. Oregon State University Press, Corvallis, Oregon, 2018.The author, a senior Smithsonian geographer who has spent his career working on decolonizing research methodologies, has produced an edited volume of interdisciplinary case studies that illustrate best practices in conducting field research that focuses on Indigenous communities, their natural resources, and traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). Ecologists who have projects that take place on tribal lands or incorporate Indigenous TEK about the natural world will benefit from reading this book, which includes useful legal information, as well as pragmatic guidance for how to achieve cultural reciprocity in research settings. Lewington, Anna, Birch. Reaktion Books, London, UK, 2018. Each book in the fascinating and beautifully produced Reaktion Books botanical series features a single group of species (e.g., willows, sunflowers, and roses), plants with a