Empire Forestry and the Origins of Environmentalism

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The origins of environmentalism are traced back to the establishment of the first empire forest in 1855 in British India, marking a significant shift in land protection as over ten percent of the Earth's surface became public trust. This movement led to the creation of vast forest reservations, celebrated by figures like Rudyard Kipling and Theodore Roosevelt. Foresters warned of dire consequences from deforestation, including desertification and climate change. Gregory Barton's study offers a pioneering global perspective on the spread of the empire forestry movement across multiple continents.