This significant study of ecology and landscape development is probably the first in the world of its kind for an urban and industrial region. It is thus of considerable importance far beyond north-west England, having relevance for industrial areas as a whole. It is unique as an ecological history and as a treatment of the industrial aspects of conservation.<BR>The book brings together, through papers presented at a conference, the work of more than fifty experts, many of them world authorities, in studying the interactions between humans and other living organisms since the last 'ice age' in a region where human intervention has a long history.<BR>Within the Mersey Basin, recent research has made a profound difference to the understanding of the changes that took place in the pre-historic period. Whilst our understanding of later periods is often less certain because of poor information or lack of research, a surprising conclusion is that biodiversity in the Mersey Basin is arguably greater now than at any time in the recent past. This book represents an important stage in the development of the ecological study of industrial regions.