Overview

Sustainability of the natural environment and of our society has become one of the most urgent challenges facing modern Americans. Communities across the country are seeking a viable pattern of growth that promotes prosperity, protects the environment, and preserves the distinctive quality of life and cultural heritage of their regions. The coastal zone of South Carolina is one of the most endangered, culturally complex regions in the state and perhaps in all of the American South. A Delicate Balance examines how a multilayered culture of environmental conservation and sustainable development has emerged in the lowcountry of South Carolina. Angela C. Halfacre, a political scientist, describes how sprawl shock, natural disaster, climate change, and other factors spawned and sustain—but at times also threaten and hinder—the culture of conservation. Since Hurricane Hugo in 1989, the coastal region of South Carolina has experienced unprecedented increases in residential and commercial development. A Delicate Balance uses interdisciplinary literature and ethnographic, historical, and spatial methods to show how growing numbers of lowcountry residents, bolstered by substantial political, corporate, and media support, have sought to maintain the region's distinctive sense of place as well as its fragile ecology. The diverse social and cultural threads forming the fabric of the lowcountry conservation culture include those who make their living from the land, such as African American basket makers and multigenerational farmers, as well as those who own, manage, and develop the land and homeowner association members. Evolving perceptions, policies, and practices that characterise community priorities and help to achieve the ultimate goal of sustainability are highlighted here. As Halfacre demonstrates, maintaining the quality of the environment while accommodating residential, commercial, and industrial growth is a balancing act replete with compromises. The book documents the origins, goals, programmes, leaders, tactics, and effectiveness of a conservation culture. A Delicate Balance deftly illustrates that a resilient culture of conservation that wields growing influence in the lowcountry has become an important regional model for conservation efforts across the nation.

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9781611172782

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Reviews

Throughout the book Haflacre relies heavily on storytelling, making it easy for readers to get a feel for the communities she write about and understand the information being presented.... A Delicate Balance doesn't offer a prescription for the future, but rather seeks to give people an understanding of what has and is taking place and why, it's so special. -- Pawley's Island (SC) Coastal Observer The book provides an exhaustive record of the singular lowcountry conservation movement, an invaluable primer on how the movement has managed contemporary conflicts between development and conservation. -- Charleston (S.C.) Post and Courier Hope that a new generation of conservationists has arisen and coalesced is the core of A Delicate Balance.... Halfacre documents the rise and maturation of a culture of conservation among individuals, families, grassroots organizations, communities, planners, politicians, ethnic groups, even developers. Her honest look at what has happened on Hilton Head and beyond is not a warm and fuzzy story. But she has found a backbone gaining strength that may yet save an incredible place. -- Hilton Head Island (S.C.) Packet A Delicate Balance thoroughly documents the rise of the conservation movement in the lowcountry, leaving the reader with a sense of having read a well-told story and a reliable chronicle of the chain of events that significantly altered land-use patterns along the coast. -- Charleston (S.C.) Mercury

Having grown up on the mossy banks of the Edisto River and spent my summers on Edisto Island, I can personally attest to the wonders of the South Carolina lowcountry. In Angela Halfacre, this beautiful and threatened region has at last found its chronicler. There are many stories needing telling about conservationists and others in the lowcountry, and Halfacre is very good at sharing them. --James Gustave Speth, author of America the Possible: Manifesto for a New Economy

The book provides an exhaustive record of the singular lowcountry conservation movement, an invaluable primer on how the movement has managed contemporary conflicts between development and conservation. --Charleston (S.C.) Post and Courier A Delicate Balance thoroughly documents the rise of the conservation movement in the lowcountry, leaving the reader with a sense of having read a well-told story and a reliable chronicle of the chain of events that significantly altered land-use patterns along the coast. --Charleston (S.C.) Mercury South Carolina's fabled lowcountry is chronicled in southern literature and venerated by residents and visitors alike. Yet the story of the landscape's preservation is itself compelling. Angela Halfacre skillfully chronicles the history of the unique culture of conservation that emerged in South Carolina to protect our beaches, wetlands, creeks, and more. --Mary Alice Monroe, New York Times best-selling author A Delicate Balance is a book we've been waiting for, and everybody should read it. Angela Halfacre gives us not only the big picture but also something even more important: hope for the land we love. --Josephine Humphreys, author of Rich in Love and others Having grown up on the mossy banks of the Edisto River and spent my summers on Edisto Island, I can personally attest to the wonders of the South Carolina lowcountry. In Angela Halfacre, this beautiful and threatened region has at last found its chronicler. There are many stories needing telling about conservationists and others in the lowcountry, and Halfacre is very good at sharing them. --James Gustave Speth, author of America the Possible: Manifesto for a New Economy

Author Information

Angela C. Halfacre teaches in the Departments of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Political Science at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, USA. She also serves as the director of Furman's David E. Shi Center for Sustainability.

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