Tells the story of saving Canada's wildlife, looking at the changing substance, aims and impacts of the conservation initiatives undertaken by government as well as private organizations and individuals during the twentieth century. It is useful for specialists in environmental history as well as in Canadian and social history.

"States of Nature" is the first book to tell that story, looking at the changing substance, aims, and impacts of the conservation initiatives undertaken by government as well as private organizations and individuals during the twentieth century, before the emergence of the modern environmental movement. Organized around case studies, this book will appeal to specialists in environmental history as well as in Canadian and social history. It will also be useful to policy makers and of interest to general readers who want to know how the country's history was intertwined with wild things and the people passionate about them.