The Great Lakes (A Natural History of Earth's Largest Freshwater Ecosystem)

Comprehensive, engaging, and timely, The Great Lakes is an exploration and a celebration of one of the most important ecological systems on Earth.

For more than 10,000 years, the Great Lakes watershed has sustained human and wildlife populations. The waterways have carried travel and trade, supported the world’s most important inland fishery, provided resting spots for billions of migrating birds, and supplied water for drinking and irrigation. In the past century, industrial pollution, invasive species, and short-sighted water diversions have severely threatened this life-sustaining system—but recent conservation and restoration efforts are helping to revive this life-sustaining continental resource.

Blending clear scientific explanation with engaging storytelling, The Great Lakes:

• Traces the geological origins and evolution of the lakes
• Explores key habitats, from coastal wetlands and open waters to tributary rivers and shorelines
• Examines the impact of pollution, invasive species, and climate change
• Highlights innovative conservation and restoration projects that are helping to heal the system

The Great Lakes is a vivid exploration of the biology and ecology of this vital, ever-changing terrain. Written by one of Canada’s best-known science and nature writers, it speaks to residents of the basin and to anyone moved by the splendour of the natural world and the urgency of its preservation.

Published in Partnership with the David Suzuki Institute