# Ecodefense

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{{Short description|Instructional book for environmental defense and sabotage}}
{{Infobox book
| image             = Ecodefense-second-edition.jpg
| author            = [Dave Foreman](/source/Dave_Foreman)
| pub_date          = 1985
| caption           = Cover of the 1987 second edition.
| publisher         = Ned Ludd Books
}}
{{Italic title}}

'''''Ecodefense: A Field Guide to Monkeywrenching''''' is a book edited by [Dave Foreman](/source/Dave_Foreman) (and Bill Haywood in later editions), with a foreword by [Edward Abbey](/source/Edward_Abbey).

== Background ==
Much of the inspiration for the book, as well as the term "[monkeywrenching](/source/Sabotage)", came from Edward Abbey's 1975 novel ''[The Monkey Wrench Gang](/source/The_Monkey_Wrench_Gang)''. Other inspiration for the book likely came from the 1972 book ''[Ecotage!](/source/Ecotage!)'', which was published by the group [Environmental Action](/source/Environmental_Action) and was in turn inspired by the actions of an activist in the [Chicago, Illinois](/source/Chicago%2C_Illinois) area who called himself "[The Fox](/source/James_F._Phillips)", and engaged in such [vigilante](/source/vigilante) actions to protect the environment as plugging smokestacks. The Fox named after the [Fox River](/source/Fox_River_(Little_Wabash_tributary)) northwest of Chicago was an avid historical boater who educated and demonstrated Native American and early trapper fishing and boating techniques.

The Fox was radicalized and became a founding mentor of the Earth Liberation Front movement<ref>{{cite book |author-link=Craig Rosebraugh |last=Rosebraugh |first=Craig |title=Burning Rage of a Dying Planet: Speaking for the Earth Liberation Front |location=New York |publisher=[Lantern Books](/source/Lantern_Books) |date=2004 |page=20 |isbn=978-1590560648}}</ref> after witnessing toxic dumping into the Fox River over decades which polluted the river to near-death. The Fox became infamous after dumping a bucket of said toxic waste upon the desk of a [Stone Container Corporation](/source/Stone_Container_Corporation) executive in Chicago. The Fox was rumored also to plug drainage pipes from toxic industrial plants from his canoe along the Fox River.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Solzman |first=David M. |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210412210709/http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/481.html |archive-date=12 April 2021 |url-status=live |title=Fox River |encyclopedia=[Encyclopedia of Chicago](/source/Encyclopedia_of_Chicago) |url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/481.html |access-date=12 April 2021}}</ref> Much of the actual content for ''Ecodefense'' came from the "Dear Ned Ludd" column in the [Earth First!](/source/Earth_First!) newsletter during the 1980s.

This book was banned in Australia, gazetted in 1992 as "refused classification" and a prohibited import.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/rendition/nla.news-page25930365.pdf |title=Publications Classified Under the Act Classification of Publications Ordinance 1983 |work=[Commonwealth of Australia Gazette](/source/Commonwealth_of_Australia_Gazette) |number=GN 1 |date=8 January 1992 |page=61 |quote=This book is also considered to contravene Regulation 4A of the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulation.}}</ref>

== Publication history ==
Ned Ludd Books published the first edition in 1985 and the second edition, revised and enlarged, in 1987. Abbzug Press in [Chico, California](/source/Chico%2C_California) published the third edition. Bill Haywood joined Dave Foreman as editor for the second and subsequent editions.

== See also ==
{{Portal|Books|Environment}}
* [Earth Liberation Front](/source/Earth_Liberation_Front)
* [Eco-Terrorism](/source/Eco-Terrorism)
* [Operation Backfire](/source/Operation_Backfire_(FBI)) – FBI operation initiated against eco-terrorism

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Larabee |first1=Ann |title=The Wrong Hands: Popular Weapons Manuals and Their Historic Challenges to a Democratic Society |date=2015 |isbn=978-0190201173 |publisher=[Oxford University Press](/source/Oxford_University_Press) |location=New York |oclc=927145132 |df=mdy-all |chapter=Monkeywrenching}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
* [https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/various-authors-ecodefense-a-field-guide-to-monkeywrenching Online text of ''Ecodefense'']

{{Authority control}}

Category:1985 non-fiction books
Category:1985 in the environment
Category:Radical environmentalism
Category:Environmental non-fiction books
Category:Political books
Category:Handbooks and manuals
Category:Edited volumes

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ecodefense](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecodefense) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecodefense?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.