New guide highlights wetlands and Ramsar. Philip's Guide to Wetlands (c2005) is a well-made and very attractive 304-page, inexpensive paperback, featuring good maps and graphics and lots of photographs. After a 50-page section about wetlands generally (types, functioning, flora and fauna, loss rates, etc.), there are 250 pages of regional atlas, with maps for each area showing all Ramsar sites (as of mid-2005) and texts with overviews and regional features, all compiled by Dr Patrick Dugan and written by a who's-who of wetland scientists and the "Ramsar family". From the book's cover: "Wetlands are home to an extraordinary diversity of flora and fauna. They exist in every continent and, since 1971, many have been conserved under the Ramsar Convention. A significant number have been declared national parks and now attract increasing numbers of visitors. This guide describes the ecology of wetlands, and explains how plants and animals adapt to survive in them. It summarizes the factors leading to the loss of wetland environments, and how they can be conserved. Detailed topographical maps show the world's most significant wetland environments, and a gazetteer lists many of the most interesting wetlands to visit. 70 maps show locations of Ramsar protected sites; Wetland wildlife, especially birds, described in detail; 175 colour photographs and explanatory artworks."