Ethnobiology of Corals and Coral Reefs

• Introduction.- Seeing corals with Darwin’s eyes of reason.- The reef sulphur cycle: influence on climate and ecosystem services.- Symbols at War: The impact of Corallium rubrum in the Indo-Pakistani subcontinent.- Ethnobiology of Corallium rubrum: Protection, healing, medicine, and magic.- Corals and coralline organisms in Seri culture: Traditional and modern uses.- Puka Mai He Ko’a: The significance of corals in Hawaiian culture.- Coral gardens of the Dumo people of Papua New Guinea: a preliminary account.- The catch of Maui: Coral gardens in the past and present of the Tongan islands.- Change in Roviana Lagoon coral reef ethnobiology.- Rocky reefs: Preserving biodiversity for the benefit of the communities in the Aquarium of the World.- Conservation of corals in the Colombian Caribbean.

“The book focuses on ethnobiology, or the interaction of humans and their environments. … The book is nicely illustrated with color and black-and-white plates. The text is very readable and will be particularly helpful to coral reef biologists/ecologists, anthropologists, and anyone interested in how humans interact with a specific environment. … Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals/practitioners; general readers.” (L. T. Spencer, Choice, Vol. 53 (12), September, 2016)