the book is a compilation of eleven essays written by the author over a period of twenty five years. These essays have a common string that bead them together, namely the dynamics of society-human interactions in environmentally fragile areas where resources are scarce and how these interactions change in response to changing conditions.

A fragile resource is one which cannot survive the degree of disturbance that is produced by the intensity of use due to a specific activity. Fragile environments mostly include the natural resource base in dry arid and semi-arid regions, and mountain slopes. Contradictorily, these regions also have