Protected areas - national parks, biosphere reserves, and the like - contribute importantly to the preservation of the ever more beleaguered wild plants and animals with which humankind shares this planet. The many thousand kilometres of national boundaries that separate the approximately 190 intensely sovereign nations (with at least half of those boundaries being undefined or contested) have become established over the years largely without consideration of habitat or ecosystem boundaries. Moreover, a state's boundary regions are often comparatively undeveloped, lightly populated and perhaps ruggedly mountainous. As a result, hundreds of transboundary sites exist throughout the world, but for political obstacles, make suitable linked protected areas.Following an introductory chapter that outlines the author's conceptual approach, chapter 2 presents the concept of a "boundary"; chapter 3 analyzes protected areas; chapter 4 examines "natural boundaries" and then the next three chapters focus on insights derived from the author's own fieldwork. The final three chapters return to theoretical considerations: the "myth of boundles nature;" "nature;" and a conclusion in chapter 11 where the author revisits her complex concept of "territory."
