In this collection of commissioned articles with a historical geographical bias, each case study explores either the direct unplanned impact of humans on the natural environment or the deliberate management policies designed to shape that impact.

In recent decades, historical geographers have left the study of nature-culture interactions to others, most notably to environmental historians. This collection, written specially for this volume, reveals a renewed commitment by, and a rapidly accelerating research agenda for, historical geographers interested in environmental issues. Following an introductory literature review, each case study explores either the direct unplanned impact of humans on the natural environment or the deliberate management policies designed to shape that impact.