The glossary should be useful for the targeted audience of high school and undergraduate students and the general reader. The author warns in the introduction that not all readers will agree with everything she writes. I found much to disagree with, but I am not sure that readers without much knowledge about environmental issues will be able to distinguish fact from opinion. Many comments are not backed up by references to allow verification by the reader. Several issues are called controversial but it is not always explained what makes the issue controversial.
Beavers build dams, transforming streams into ponds.
People kill beavers and make them into coats. Epidemics kill people and transform cultures. Which changes are good and which are bad depends entirely on who you are. The organization of the book is logical and easy to use, but this reviewer feels that it would have benefited greatly by better editing. This book serves mainly as a starting point for exploring environmental science issues and may be most useful in high school and public libraries.