Oceanic islands are small and isolated, and these attributes lead to a number of important problems that are qualitatively different from small patches of habitat on continental regions. Some of the problems particular to tropical islands are profound. For example, the small area of oceanic islands makes all the land coastal, and so when erosion occurs, soil and freshwater are not just redistributed, but are lost to the sea. If too much water is taken from a freshwater lense, a source of drinking water on limestone islands, seawater will intrude and defile the freshwater supply. On continents, water can be piped in from elsewhere when the local supply is defiled, but on islands there are usually no alternatives.
Islands often have an incomplete array of natural resources.
The high proportion of endemic species and the incomplete biota make the ecological communities of islands especially vulnerable to invasion by alien species. There is now a plethora of books in environmental science that provide ecological principles for the world, and it may be felt that we do not need more books on environmental science. But we do need a book on environmental science of tropical oceanic islands because those dealing with general principles do not adequately address the problems of islands. This book by Lobban and Schefter admirably fulfills this unique need. This book is well organized as a textbook with over 250 original illustrations to introduce, explain, or clarify concepts.