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Review: Transboundary Policy Challenges in the Pacific Border Regions of North America

TRANSBOUNDARY POLICY CHALLENGES IN THE PACIFIC BORDER REGIONS OF NORTH AMERICA James Loucky, Donald K. Alper, and J. C. Day Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 2008. 343PP, $34-95 paper (ISBN 9781-55238-223-3)In October 2001, a workshop on border bioregions and coastal corridors was held in Bellingham, WA and Vancouver, BC. The interest and ideas born at this conference led to a compilation of research centered on borderlands environmental policy across Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Framed within the rubric of transboundary research and practices within the Pacific border regions of North America, the works presented in Transboundary Policy Challenges are important if only for the fact that they represent an effort to provide comparative works across all three countries of North America in a single volume. For anyone interested in comparative international environmental policymaking as it has developed in this particular region of North America, this book provides a wealth of information and a good starting point from which to continue the exploration of cross-border environmental problems.The comparative methodology based on a compilation of case studies provides a cross-border description and analysis of significant transboundary research within the Pacific border regions of North America. The chapters in this volume are exceptionally well written. The presentations are carefully organized and easy to understand. The overall quality of the analysis is excellent. Students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels would find the writing straightforward and the arguments valid. In addition, the chapters are written in a way that will be easily read and understood by policymakers and the general public alike. The arguments and recommendations offer an overview of policy issues that reinforce the need for further action and study.The best part of this volume is the breadth of topics and the quantity and quality of detailed information provided. Not only are historical trends carefully articulated, data are provided that specifically highlight possible policy directions for each country singularly, binationally, and regionally in its efforts to deal effectively with environmental problems in high-growth border areas. Further, there is recognition that the magnitude of global economic developments and the gravity of environmental dilemmas will force us "to think and act in new ways, including through engaging more actively in international research and civic activities" across North American borders (vii).The initial two chapters are outstanding. In chapter one, Day, Loucky, and Alper present an overview of the policy challenges in North America's Pacific border regions, beginning with a delineation of why border regions are now primary areas for economic and social transformations. The maps of the study areas identified by each chapter and presented in figure i.i are a big plus for readers. In fact, as I read through each of the chapters I found myself continually turning back to these maps to orient my train of thought as it pertained to the arguments and analysis provided by the authors. The maps give one the feel for the comparative nature of the studies and the overall linkages across boundaries. In short, the overview, coupled with the maps identifying the areas of study by chapter, set a superb tone for the entire volume.I especially enjoyed the second chapter. …