It gives an introduction to the history of the islands and a guide to the many reserves and covenants that have been set up to protect and conserve the islands' heritage. Profusely illustrated with an outstanding selection of colour photos, artwork and maps, as well as historical photographs.
Contributors to this book are:
Te Miria Kate Wills-Johnson (heritage), Michael King (history), Hamish Campbell (geology), David Schiel (marine life, seaweeds), Wendy Nelson (seaweeds), Rhys Richards (marine mammals), Ian Atkinson (land habitats), Peter Johnson (freshwater wetlands, lichens), Nadine Bott (freshwater fish), Peter de Lange (botany, mosses, liverworts), Peter Heenan and John Sawyer (botany), Allan Fife (mosses), David Glenny (liverworts), Peter Johnston and Ross Beever (fungi), John Dugdale and Rowan Emberson (insects), Phil Sirvid (spiders), Karin Mahlfeld (land snails), Ken Hunt (managing the resource) and Colin Miskelly (birds, lizard, managing the resource, people who made a difference).
Colin Miskelly works for Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand in Wellington. He first visited the Chatham Islands as a volunteer with Taiko Expeditions in 1978, then undertook thesis research on snipe on Rangatira between 1983 and 1986. He has been involved with conservation work on the Chatham Islands since 1998, visiting several times a year. He was co-author of Endemic plants of the Chatham Islands and Birds of the Chatham Islands, and has published many technical articles on the ecology and conservation of Chatham Island birds.