Public presentation on water issues at UPEI April 24

With interest in water problems increasing across Prince Edward Island over the past few years, there is still much to learn about protecting and enhancing this important natural resource. As an aid to this learning process, award-winning author Marq de Villiers will give a talk about water issues in the Alex H. MacKinnon Auditorium (Room 242), McDougall Hall at UPEI on Friday, April 24, at 7 p.m.

In his book, Water: The Fate of Our Most Precious Resource, de Villiers says water is still undervalued, but it is becoming more precious. It's not that the world is running out of water, he says, but "it's running out in places where it's needed most."

First published in 1999, the book is now in print in 11 languages. It won a Governor General's Award and earned glowing praise from such respected figures as Maurice Strong, now of the Earth Council, who called it 'timely, authoritative, and eminently readable.' Water also won the 1999 Canadian Science Writers Award and was nominated for the Evelyn Richardson Prize for Non-Fiction. Copies of the book can be purchased at the talk.

One reviewer noted that 'de Villiers has a keen eye for detail and a solid command of the scientific literature on which his argument is based. He's also a fine storyteller, and his wide-ranging book makes a useful companion to other works that call our attention to a globally abused - and vital - resource.'

A veteran journalist, magazine editor and writer, de Villiers has worked as a foreign correspondent in Moscow, South Africa and other places. He has travelled extensively, especially in Africa, and has written 13 books on travel, history and natural history. He lives in Nova Scotia.

The talk is co-sponsored by the Environmental Coalition of Prince Edward Island, the Environmental Studies Program at UPEI and the provincial Department of Environment, Energy and Forestry. There is no charge for admission, and everyone is welcome.