Ericas come in an astonishing array of sizes, shapes and colours. Some 760 species, many of them found nowhere else, occur in the Cape Floristic region – a centre of unparalleled diversity for the genus and home to one of the world’s richest floras.

Even when in bloom, telling these delicate flowers apart is extremely challenging. In Ericas of the Fynbos, 170 of the region’s most common plants are described in detail, with key ID features highlighted for quick reference. In addition, information is given on distribution, flowering times, subspecies and similar species – providing more tools to aid accurate identification. Vivid full-colour photographs of each species showcase the astonishing variety and stunning beauty of the flowers. An informative introduction unpacks biology, pollination and distribution of erica species.

Enriched by a lively design, this innovative guide will give all flower enthusiasts, gardeners and hikers, the confidence to accurately identify ericas in the wild.

PLAY AND LEARN: learn about bees and biodiversity as you play this family strategy game for age 6+, based on traditional Mancala

SCREEN-FREE FUN for two players aged 6 and up

SOMETHING TO TREASURE: this is a quality product made to last, with bespoke illustration and sleek and stylish packaging

EXPLORE THE ENTIRE SERIES: this game is one of our nature games, others include Bird Bingo, I Saw It First! Ocean, Match a Leaf, Under the Sea

LAURENCE KING PUBLISHING has been capturing imaginations and inspiring creativity in new and unexpected ways for over 30 years, with playful and eye-catching games, gifts and books

Buzz the bees to the flowers to collect pollen and then back to the hive to make honey for feeding and growing your very own bee colony. The player with the largest colony wins! Based on the ancient gameplay of mancala, Beehive Mancala is a fun strategy game for adults and children aged 6+. Includes facts about the bees and flowers featured, plus details on the honey-making process and the importance of bees from the beekeeper at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Thirty years of Butterflies in traditional Lancashire and Cheshire. A regional butterfly atlas with a difference: taking three ten-year periods (last decade of the 20th century and the first two decades of the 21st), this book documents the changes in distribution and abundance of all the butterfly species which occur of have occurred within vice-counties 58, 59, 60 and the furness portion of 69, which equate to the true historic or traditional English counties of Cheshire and Lancashire a " a a no legislation has ever changed the boundaries of Britaina s traditional countiesa a From a base in the MerseyValley, close to the border between the counties, the author explores the length and breadth of both of them, noting how the butterflies have been affected by human activities as well as by the forces of Nature, and also takes a closer look at the 1974-created administrative areas of Merseyside and Greater Manchester, and their central cities of Liverpool and Manchester. There is also a section of flowers which butterflies use for their nutrition within the two counties.

FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER,THE HIDDEN LIFE OF TREES 'A simultaneously stimulating and soothing blend of nature writing and science ... Strongly encourages tree hugging for our own, human sake' Guardian Summer Reads 2021 A powerful return to the forest, where trees have heartbeats and roots are like brains that extend underground. Where the colour green calms us, and the forest sharpens our senses. In The Heartbeat of Trees, renowned forester Peter Wohlleben draws on new scientific discoveries to show how humans are deeply connected to the natural world. In an era of climate change, many of us fear we've lost our connection to nature, but Wohlleben is convinced that age-old ties linking humans to the forest remain alive and intact. We just have to know where to look. Drawing on science and cutting-edge research, The Heartbeat of Trees reveals the profound interactions humans can have with nature, exploring: the language of the forest the consciousness of plants and the eroding boundary between flora and fauna A perfect book to take with you into the woods, The Heartbeat of Trees shares how to see, feel, smell, hear, and even taste the forest. Peter Wohlleben, renowned for his ability to write about trees in an engaging and moving way, reveals a wondrous cosmos where humans are a part of nature, and where conservation and environmental activism is not just about saving trees, it's about saving ourselves, too.

Wetlands provide a key service in an ecosystem such as providing resilience against drought and diverse habitats that support biodiversity. Because of their ephemeral character and their small size, however, these vulnerable ecosystems are declining rapidly as climate change continues to surge and human activities expand. Rational management of wet ecosystems need accompanying actions covering research, systematic observation, and more. Wetland Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services, and the Impact of Climate Change produces innovative concepts, methodologies, tools, and applications for ecosystem service valuation, wetland biodiversity conservation, fresh water supply, agricultural production, food security, wetland management, and its impact on biodiversity. It assesses the cumulative risk posed to wetland habitats and species by human activities and explores the consequences for the delivery of ecosystem services and biodiversity at local, regional, and global scales, as well as the impacts of climate change on wetland ecosystems and water resources. Covering topics such as geochemistry, invasive species, and sedimentary change, this premier reference source is an indispensable resource for government officials, engineers, environmental managers, environmentalists, students and educators of higher education, researchers, and academicians.

The Sunday Times Bestseller A new, fully updated narrative edition of David Attenborough's seminal biography of our world, The Living Planet. Nowhere on our planet is devoid of life. Plants and animals thrive or survive within every extreme of climate and habitat that it offers. Single species, and often whole communities adapt to make the most of ice cap and tundra, forest and plain, desert, ocean and volcano. These adaptations can be truly extraordinary: fish that walk or lay eggs on leaves in mid-air; snakes that fly; flightless birds that graze like deer; and bears that grow hair on the soles of their feet. In The Living Planet, David Attenborough's searching eye, unfailing curiosity and infectious enthusiasm explain and illuminate the intricate lives of the these colonies, from the lonely heights of the Himalayas to the wild creatures that have established themselves in the most recent of environments, the city. By the end of this book it is difficult to say which is the more astonishing - the ingenuity with which individual species contrive a living, or the complexity of their interdependence on each other and on the habitations provided by our planet. In this new edition, the author, with the help of zoologist Matthew Cobb, has added all the most up-to-date discoveries of ecology and biology, as well as a full-colour 64-page photography section. He also addresses the urgent issues facing our living planet: climate change, pollution and mass extinction of species.

In 1864 in India, the British Raj established the Imperial Forest Department. Social forestry got a major boost in the early 1980s, initiating a new approach to deal with the problem of biotic interference on forest land. A great change was made in forest and forestry management for the protection and development of forests, where Forest Protection Committees (FPCs) were formed by villagers, following the Arabari Model Community forest experiment in West Bengal, for usufruct rights and revenue sharing, which is unique in the history of forest management in the world. Ethics of Biodiversity Conservation takes a unique longitudinal view of this important forestry management case study. Today, increasing human population, growing industrialization, pollution, and climate change, creates the challenge of determining ways and means of ensuring that biodiversity conservation is an integral part of forest management.

The crucial importance of biodiversity law to future human welfare is only now being fully appreciated. This wide-ranging handbook presents a range of perspectives from leading international experts reflecting up-to-date research thinking on the vital subject of biodiversity and its interaction with law.Through a rigorous examination of the principles, procedures and practices that characterise this area of law, this timely volume effectively highlights its objectives, implementation, achievements, and prospects. More specifically, the work addresses the regulatory challenges posed by the principal contemporary threats to biological diversity, the applicable general principles of international environmental law and the visions, values and voices that are shaping the development of the law. Presenting thematic rather than regime-based coverage, the editors demonstrate the state-of-the-art of current research and identify future research needs and directions. This comprehensive and authoritative handbook will be an indispensable resource for legal scholars, students and practitioners alike. Contributors include: K. Bastmeijer, M. Bowman, R. Caddell, E. Cloatre, P. Davies, M. Fitzmaurice, M. Fosci, D. French, E.J. Goodwin, K. Hulme, E.A. Kirk, V. Koester, N. Mohammed, R. Rayfuse, K.N. Scott, A. Trouwborst, T. West

Ecosystems provide services that are crucial and beneficial to the human population. The management and conservation of these services can assure the wellbeing of the local population. Climate Change and Its Impact on Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity in Arid and Semi-Arid Zones is an essential reference source that studies the effects of climate change on biodiversity and ecosystem services in dry regions and examines various strategic local, national, and international policy developments to help overcome these impacts. Featuring research on topics such as poverty reduction, climate change, and adaption policies, this book is ideally designed for environmentalists, policymakers, government officials, academicians, researchers, and technology developers who want to improve their understanding of climate change impact, vulnerability, and sustainability, and the strategic role of adaptation and mitigation.

This Handbook presents state-of-the-art methodological guidance and discussion of international practice related to the integration of biodiversity and ecosystem services in impact assessment, featuring contributions from leading researchers and practitioners the world over. Its multidisciplinary approach covers contributions across five continents to broaden the scope of the field both thematically and geographically. A multifaceted variety of case studies provide examples of the use of information on biodiversity and ecosystem services in different types of impact assessment to improve decisions at all levels, from strategic choices to individual projects. In addition to its discussion of how biodiversity and ecosystem services can improve the salience and effectiveness of impact assessment, this Handbook presents a range of applications and possible solutions to challenges in key policy and planning sectors, including urban development, land use, energy, marine areas, infrastructure, agriculture, forestry, health and tourism. This Handbook's combination of cutting-edge literature and methodological guidance supports researchers, practitioners and students in developing and implementing biodiversity and ecosystem services-inclusive impact assessment processes, which can contribute to better decisions about the use of our lands and waters. As such it will appeal not only to scholars of impact assessment but of environmental sciences, environmental engineering, natural sciences, planning and economics as well. Contributors include: C. Albert, A. Anton, M. Ashley, J. Azcarate, B. Balfors, S. Brownlie, L. Bulling, C. Cortinovis, R.T.T. Forman, S. Frank, C. Furst, D. Geneletti, J. Goldstein, T. Hooper, P. Horwitz, M. Hughes, P. Itkonen, M. Jimenez, M. Karlson, L. Karrasch, C.M. Kennedy, J.M. Kiesecker, J. Koeppel, L. Kopperoinen, O. Langmead, D. Maia de Souza, L. Mandle, L. Mila i Canals, U. Moertberg, D. Newsome, S. Odelius Gordon, M.W. Parkes, K. Pietzsch, F. Pietzsch, A. Rajvanshi, D. Roe, D.A. Rozas Vasquez, M. Ruckelshaus, H. Tallis, L. Tardieu, F. Teillard, J. Treweek, J. Wu, L. Zardo

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2020 WAINWRIGHT PRIZE A naturalist's passionate dive into the lives of bees (of all stripes)-and the natural world in her own backyard Brigit Strawbridge Howard was shocked the day she realised she knew more about the French Revolution than she did about her native trees. And birds. And wildflowers. And bees. The thought stopped her-quite literally-in her tracks. But that day was also the start of a journey, one filled with silver birches and hairy-footed flower bees, skylarks, and rosebay willow herb, and the joy that comes with deepening one's relationship with place. Dancing with Bees is Strawbridge Howard's charming and eloquent account of a return to noticing, to rediscovering a perspective on the world that had somehow been lost to her for decades and to reconnecting with the natural world. With special care and attention to the plight of pollinators, including honeybees, bumblebees, and solitary bees, and what we can do to help them, Strawbridge Howard shares fascinating details of the lives of flora and fauna that have filled her days with ever-increasing wonder and delight.

This book introduces the Chinese boletes, including the history, ecological and economic values, as well as the geographical distribution patterns with a highlight on the Tylopilus species. Species in Tylopilus s.l. are not only of important ecological values but also of scientific interests. They are very diverse in morphology, complex in structure and wide in ecological niches. China is one of the diverse hotspots of boletes, and many boletes were traditionally treated as members of Tylopilus based on hymenophore or spore-print colour. The studies revealed that the traditionally defined Tylopilus is polyphyletic. This book aims to elucidate the phylogenetic relationships among the genera treated in Tylopilus s.l. previously; to delimit and recognize the taxa, and finally to reveal the diversity of the genera and species of Tylopilus s.l. in China. The book is intended to be a reference for biologists who conduct investigations of biological resources and biodiversity; university and college teachers and students carrying out studies in related fields; mycologists and amateur mycologists, or people who interested in mushrooms taxonomy and systematics; and workers in the development of non-timber forest products.

In the past thirty years biodiversity has become one of the central organizing principles through which we understand the nonhuman environment. Its deceptively simple definition as the variation among living organisms masks its status as a hotly contested term both within the sciences and more broadly. In Eden's Endemics, Elizabeth Callaway looks to cultural objects-novels, memoirs, databases, visualizations, and poetry- that depict many species at once to consider the question of how we narrate organisms in their multiplicity. Touching on topics ranging from seed banks to science fiction to bird-watching, Callaway argues that there is no set, generally accepted way to measure biodiversity. Westerners tend to conceptualize it according to one or more of an array of tropes rooted in colonial history such as the Lost Eden, Noah's Ark, and Tree-of-Life imagery. These conceptualizations affect what kinds of biodiversities are prioritized for protection. While using biodiversity as a way to talk about the world aims to highlight what is most valued in nature, it can produce narratives that reinforce certain power differentials-with real-life consequences for conservation projects. Thus the choices made when portraying biodiversity impact what is visible, what is visceral, and what is unquestioned common sense about the patterns of life on Earth.

This book will present information on Pantanal vegetation including an updated checklist of flora, useful plants, ecological aspects and some topics never published for this region, such as lichens. It aims to be a reference for researchers, graduate and undergraduate students as well as stakeholders and decision makers interested in the flora and vegetation of one of the world's largest tropical wetlands.

The Bahia Blanca Estuary is one of the largest coastal systems in Atlantic South America. This mesotidal estuary, situated in a sharp transition between humid subtropical and semiarid climates, has a unique combination of large interannual climatic variations. The estuarine area encompasses roughly 2300 square kilometers and is composed of wide expanses of intertidal flats, salt marshes, and emerged islands, which create intricate landscape patterns. Natural environments in the estuary sustain a high concentration of marine and terrestrial species, including endemic, threatened, and endangered fish and shorebirds. Puerto Cuatreros, in the inner zone of the estuary, hosts a permanent marine research station, whose records span more than 30 years of biophysical variables, and represent one of the largest time series of ecological data in South America. Beyond its ecological relevance, the Bahia Blanca Estuary is under increasing anthropogenic pressure from large urban settlements, industrial developments and harbors, raising the question of how to balance conservation and development. The Bahia Blanca Estuary: Ecology and Biodiversity offers a comprehensive review of life in the ecosystems of the estuary. The book is divided into five major sections, the first of which provides a description of the regional setting and covers key aspects of estuarine dynamics. The three following sections are dedicated to different habitat types and, within each section, the chapters are organized around major functional groups from pelagic and benthic environments. The fifth and final section covers issues related to management and conservation. Overall, the book provides essential and up-to-date reference material on the biodiversity and ecosystem processes of the Bahia Blanca Estuary, and will appeal to a broad international audience.