Finally, It's A Book

My book on the rattans of the Greater Mekong Region is finally out (see Almost A Book). Lot of good stuff here. The book contains: 1) an illustrated field guide to 65 rattan species (by the incomparable palm systematist, Andrew Henderson), 2) inventory and growth data from wild rattan populations in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, 3) a conservation assessment of rattan species, and 4) a relatively simple, participatory protocol for managing wild rattan populations on a sustained-yield basis.  Will be available in English, Khmer, Lao, and Vietnamese.

The book is being printed by the Agricultural Publishing House in Hanoi, and the official book launch is in Phnom Penh on February 13. I leave for Southeast Asia - for fieldwork and to give a talk at the book launch - the day after tomorrow. 

In Press (Finally)

Well, it's been five months since I first posted about the rattan book (See Almost A Book), but the good news is that the third set of proofs have been corrected, all is well, and Systematics, Ecology and Management of Rattans in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam will soon be printed in Hanoi by The Agriculture Publishing House. The volume is a joint publication between the WWF and NYBG, with a generous subvention from IKEA; it will be published in English, Vietnamese, Khmer, and Lao. For me, the best part is that under the ISBN number on the back cover it says "Not For Sale". The volume will be made available to communities, researchers, development workers, and other interested parties free of charge. 

Almost a Book

I have finished most of the writing for the book that I am working on about the rattans of Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam (see Lower Mekong Market Chain). Whew. Sample pages from Chapter II and Chapter III are shown above. [NOTE: I am also doing the lay out for much of the book, which will be printed in Hanoi; page shots generated from the InDesign file (.indb) for the volume].