Snowy Andean peaks. Steaming Brazilian rain forests. Lush tropical islands. Few regions on Earth are as diverse or spectacular as Latin America and the Caribbean. And few are as threatened by expanding populations, industrial pollutants, and unsustainable farming methods. Latin America & the Caribbean, a new title in the World Environments series, explores the environmental problems facing our neighbors to the south.

A concise yet thorough overview of the environmental issues, problems, and controversies facing Latin America and the Caribbean—from the tip of South America to the Windward Islands.

Home to Earth's longest mountain range, largest river, and greatest rainforest, no region boasts greater geographic extremes, faces greater environmental dangers, and enjoys more economic potential from its biodiversity than Latin America and the Caribbean.

What are the political and economic factors affecting the Amazon's rapidly disappearing rainforest? What is being done to harvest life-saving drugs from the plants of the Orinoco? And what lies behind the mysterious disappearance of Central America's frogs? The work includes essays, tables and figures, and an appendix titled International Environmental and Developmental Agencies, Organizations, and Programs on the World Wide Web. Latin America & the Caribbean examines a region waking up to its environmental problems and possibilities.

• Interesting sidebar articles, tables, and figures
• Photos illustrating environmental resources and threats