Environmentalism began with the establishment of the first empire forest in 1855 in British India. During the second half of the nineteenth century, over ten per cent of the land surface of the earth became protected as a public trust. The empire forestry movement spread through India, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the U.S. and to other parts of the world. Gregory A. Barton's pioneering study views the origins of environmentalism in global perspective.