Southern Rivers

“R. Scot Duncan’s [Southern Rivers: Restoring America’s Freshwater Biodiversity] is an excellent and original synthesis of the Southeast’s water marvels, problems, threats, and solutions. Duncan provides a personalized meta-meditation on the region’s rivers and coastlines in a rich context anchored in biological diversity and human history.”—Chris Manganiello, author of Southern Water, Southern Power: How the Politics of Cheap Energy and Water Scarcity Shaped a Region “R. Scot Duncan has done it again, revealing the impressive biodiversity and extolling the ecological virtues of Alabama and the entire Southeast.. . . Southern Rivers joins the list of popular yet scholarly books that help readers appreciate the Southeast’s impressive assemblage of biodiversity and natural communities.”—Aiken Standard Newspaper“Duncan pulls us in to his fold with an engaging first-person writing style, not an easy task with such a deep trove of scientific, political, cultural, and historical information.”—James B. McClintock, author of A Naturalist Goes Fishing: Casting in Fragile Waters from the Gulf of Mexico to New Zealand’s South Island; Lost Antarctica: Adventures in a Disappearing Land; and The Diversity of Invertebrates: Gulf of Mexico edition“The rivers of the southeastern United States, with their remarkable diversity of life, are among Earth’s greatest gifts. Duncan makes an eloquent and compelling case for why we need to save them – and how we can do it. Southern Rivers imbues us with honest hope for a future where humanity and healthy rivers can thrive side-by-side. The question is, will we take action in time?—Sandra Postel, author of Replenish: The Virtuous Cycle of Water and Prosperity

R. Scot Duncan is a biologist and executive director of Alabama Audubon. He is author of Southern Wonder: Alabama’s Surprising Biodiversity, winner of the Southern Environmental Law Center’s 2014 Phil Reed Environmental Writing Award, and the Southeastern Library Association’s 2013 Overall Excellence: Hard Cover Award.