JAPAN: THE NATURAL HISTORY OF AN ASIAN ARCHIPELAGO. By Mark Brazil.

(1999) 2022 new edition. 8vo flexibound paperback with flaps (132 x 217mm). Pp384. Colour photographs throughout, colour maps, useful bibliography, map end-papers.

"The Japanese archipelago spans 3,000km from northeast to southwest, encompasses more than 6,000 islands, and contains such a wide range of habitats, from subarctic and alpine to subtropical as well as from high mountain tops to great ocean depths, that its biodiversity is astonishing, as is its underlying geodiversity. The long isolation of many of the islands in the archipelago has resulted in the evolution of local forms and species of plants and animals." Chapters include: Preface; The forces that shape Japan; Natural ecology - the habitats of Japan, the flora and vegetation, biodiversity, patterns of wildlife distribution; People and wildlife - islands and extinction, conservation successes, wildlife watching; The regions of Japan - Hokkaido, Honshu, the Sky Islands, southern land, northern Nansei Shoto, southern Nansei Shoto, the natural marvels of the Izu, Ogasawara and Iwo Islands; Mammals and birds of Japan - an overview of Japan's mammals, an overview of Japan's birds.