- presents a broad array of global case studies exploring the interaction between religion and the conservation of nature, reflecting on both successes and failures - importantly, it gives voice to the religious practitioners and adherents themselves, where they discuss their personal motivation as conservationists and how religion energises their commitment to the conservation of other species and ecosystems - includes case studies covering a variety of religions, faiths and practicies, including traditional, indigenous, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jain, Judiasm, Shinto, and Zoroastrianism - will be of great interest to students and scholars of nature conservation, environment and religion, cultural geography and ethnobiology, as well as practitioners and professionals working in conservation

This book focuses on the regional political ecologies (RPEs) of environmental conflicts in India. It explores broadly, landscape-based analyses of political, economic and social issues, which impact environmental changes, challenges and conflicts at local and micro-local levels. The chapters in this volume examine the intervention of different stakeholders in the management of various regional ecological landscapes in India, including forests, rivers, canals, creeks and wetlands. The volume is an interdisciplinary endeavour, weaving together contextual narratives through a combination of approaches from sociology, anthropology, geography, political studies and environmental history. Using such core approaches, the book studies the place-based dynamisms within the regional environmental conflicts in the selected conservation landscapes. It provides empirical reflections on transboundary issues, rural-urban transitions, middle-class environmentalism, identity conflicts, decentralized natural resource management and the role of political institutions. Regional Political Ecologies and Environmental Conflicts in India will be of great interest to students and scholars of Political Ecology and South Asian Environmental Studies.

This book is dedicated to the Silver Bream, a fish too long neglected by anglers, wildlife enthusiasts and science. In fact, this is the first book ever devoted to this freshwater fish. Scientist, author and broadcaster Dr Mark Everard introduces the biology of the silver bream, angling for this fish, and its diverse social quirks and values.

The extreme microbiomes are those microorganisms thriving under extreme conditions where no other living being will have any chance to survive. The extreme habitats are those presenting high temperatures (thermophiles), low temperature (psychrophiles), hypersaline environments (halophiles), low and high pH (Acidophiles/alkaliphiles), high pressure (Piezophiles) are distributed worldwide. The extreme habitats have proved to offer a unique reservoir of genetic diversity and biological source of extremophiles. The extremophilic microbial diversity and their biotechnological potential use in agricultural and industrial applications will be a milestone for future needs. Extremophiles and their cell components, therefore, are expected to play an important role in the chemical, food, pharmaceutical, paper and textile industries as well as environmental biotechnology.

examines concurrent green initiatives and their spillover effects in environmental conservation and management provides a detailed analysis of case studies in the United States and China, including the Conservation Reserve Program and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program in the US and the Grain-to-Green Program and the Forest Ecological Benefit Compensation Fund in China demonstrates the importance of analyzing concurrent green efforts to better understand both the positive and negative impacts will be of great interest to students and scholars of environmental conservation and management, land use, ecosystem services and environmental policy, as well as policymakers and practitioners working on environmental initiatives and programs.

This book brings together the latest information on the rapid advances and developments in the field of aquatic ecology. India is very rich in terms of biological diversity due to its wide range of habitats and climatic conditions. It is home to as much as 7 per cent of the world's animal species, although it only accounts for about 2 per cent of the total landmass. The present work on biodiversity, ecology and conservation of aquatic resources represents original research in the field of aquatic biodiversity, wetland ecology and its applications with reference to the country's aquatic resources. There are 19 chapters, each contributed by an expert in his/her particular field and offering novel approaches to various topics in the area of aquatic ecosystems.

This book is dedicated to the spiky little freshwater ruffian known better as the ruffe, pope, 'tommy ruffe' and other local names. A fascinating little fish, the ruffe is long overdue a book all of its own. Much loved by many anglers, ruffe can also be problematic when introduced beyond their native range. Scientist, author and broadcaster Dr Mark Everard details fascinating aspects of the biology, angling and wider contributions to society of the ruffe.

This book examines the current situation, levels of adoption, management practices, and the future outlook of conservation agriculture in India, and also in other tropical and subtropical regions of the world. While conservation agriculture is proposed as an important means to combat climate change, improve crop productivity and food affordability, and to protect the environment, the adoption of conservation agriculture in India, and south-east Asia more broadly, has been slow. This volume reflects on the current status of conservation agriculture in India, asking why adoption has been slow and putting forward strategies to improve its uptake. The chapters cover the various aspects of crop management such as soil, water, nutrients, weeds, crop residues, machinery, and energy, in a range of environments, including irrigated and rainfed regions. The impact of climate change and the economic considerations behind the adoption of conservation agriculture are also discussed. The volume concludes by discussing the future outlook for conservation agriculture in India, in particular drawing out parallels with other tropical and subtropical regions of the world. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of conservation agriculture, sustainable agriculture, crop and soil management, and environmental and natural resource management.

- questions how bureaucracies conceive of and consequently interact with nature, and suggests that our managed public landscapes are neither entirely managed nor entirely wild - questions which kinds of human influence, conceived of in the widest possible sense, will produce ideal environments for future generations, and who gets to choose - draws on the author's experience as an objective scholar and over 10 years working as a practitioner in federal land management agencies - will be of great interest to students and scholars of natural resource management, policy and politics, and professionals working in environmental management roles as well as policymakers involved public policy and administration.

- questions how bureaucracies conceive of and consequently interact with nature, and suggests that our managed public landscapes are neither entirely managed nor entirely wild - questions which kinds of human influence, conceived of in the widest possible sense, will produce ideal environments for future generations, and who gets to choose - draws on the author's experience as an objective scholar and over 10 years working as a practitioner in federal land management agencies - will be of great interest to students and scholars of natural resource management, policy and politics, and professionals working in environmental management roles as well as policymakers involved public policy and administration.

This book reviews the history, current state of knowledge, and different research approaches and techniques of studies on interactions between humans and plants in an important area of agriculture and ongoing plant domestication: Mesoamerica. Leading scholars and key research groups in Mexico discuss essential topics as well as contributions from international research groups that have conducted studies on ethnobotany and domestication of plants in the region. Such a convocation will produce an interesting discussion about future investigation and conservation of regional human cultures, genetic resources, and cultural and ecological processes that are critical for global sustainability.

This edited work brings out a comprehensive collection of information on Potentials, Threats and Conservation of Biodiversity in Africa. The main focus of this book is to address the sustainability of Biodiversity of Africa. Biodiversity are organisms that typically have life and possess the characteristics of living things. The biodiversity is being affected by human activities as well as natural effects. This in turn is affecting the uses of biodiversity which are mainly food and medicine. Therefore it will be useful to point possible means of conserving biodiversity of African so as to enhance the sustainability of their uses especially in Africa. This book is of interest and useful to biodiversity experts, policy makers, conservationists and industries interested in biodiversity conservation of native flora and fauna in the area. It will also be useful to environmental and agricultural scientists, foresters, horticulturists, ecologists, and valuable source of reference to the relevant researchers and students (undergraduate and Post graduate) in the region.

The Ecological Importance of High-Severity Fires, presents information on the current paradigm shift in the way people think about wildfire and ecosystems. While much of the current forest management in fire-adapted ecosystems, especially forests, is focused on fire prevention and suppression, little has been reported on the ecological role of fire, and nothing has been presented on the importance of high-severity fire with regards to the maintenance of native biodiversity and fire-dependent ecosystems and species. This text fills that void, providing a comprehensive reference for documenting and synthesizing fire's ecological role.

The City is an Ecosystem maps an interdisciplinary, community-engaged response to the great ecological crises of our time-climate change, biodiversity loss, and social inequality-which pose particular challenges for cities, where more than half the world's population currently live. Across more than twenty chapters, the three parts of the book cover historical and scientific perspectives on the city as an ecosystem; human rights to the city in relation to urban sustainability; and the city as a sustainability classroom at all educational levels inside and outside formal classroom spaces. It argues that such efforts must be interdisciplinary and widespread to ensure an informed public and educated new generation are equipped to face an uncertain future, particularly relevant in the post-COVID-19 world. Gathering multiple interdisciplinary and community-engaged perspectives on these environmental crises, with contemporary and historical case study discussions, this timely volume cuts across the humanities and social and health sciences, and will be of interest to policymakers, urban ecologists, activists, built environment professionals, educators, and advanced students concerned with the future of our cities.

The City is an Ecosystem maps an interdisciplinary, community-engaged response to the great ecological crises of our time-climate change, biodiversity loss, and social inequality-which pose particular challenges for cities, where more than half the world's population currently live. Across more than twenty chapters, the three parts of the book cover historical and scientific perspectives on the city as an ecosystem; human rights to the city in relation to urban sustainability; and the city as a sustainability classroom at all educational levels inside and outside formal classroom spaces. It argues that such efforts must be interdisciplinary and widespread to ensure an informed public and educated new generation are equipped to face an uncertain future, particularly relevant in the post-COVID-19 world. Gathering multiple interdisciplinary and community-engaged perspectives on these environmental crises, with contemporary and historical case study discussions, this timely volume cuts across the humanities and social and health sciences, and will be of interest to policymakers, urban ecologists, activists, built environment professionals, educators, and advanced students concerned with the future of our cities.

The Ocean Sunfishes: Evolution, Biology and Conservation is the first book to gather into one comprehensive volume our fundamental knowledge of the world-record holding, charismatic ocean behemoths in the family Molidae. From evolution and phylogeny to biotoxins, biomechanics, parasites, husbandry and popular culture, it outlines recent and future research from leading sunfish experts worldwide This synthesis includes diet, foraging behavior, migration and fisheries bycatch and overhauls long-standing and outdated perceptions. This book provides the essential go-to resource for both lay and academic audiences alike and anyone interested in exploring one of the ocean's most elusive and captivating group of fishes.

Rethinking Wilderness and the Wild: Conflict, Conservation and Co-existence examines the complexities surrounding the concept of wilderness. Contemporary wilderness scholarship has tended to fall into two categories: the so-called 'fortress conservation' and 'co-existence' schools of thought. This book, contending that this polarisation has led to a silencing and concealment of alternative perspectives and lines of enquiry, extends beyond these confines and in particular steers away from the dilemmas of paradise or paradox in order to advance an intellectual and policy agenda of plurality and diversity rather than of prescription and definition. Drawing on case studies from Australia, Aoteoroa/New Zealand, the United States and Iceland, and explorations of embodied experience, creative practice, philosophy, and First Nations land management approaches, the assembled chapters examine wilderness ideals, conflicts and human-nature dualities afresh, and examine co-existence and conservation in the Anthropocene in diverse ontological and multidisciplinary ways. By demonstrating a strong commitment to respecting the knowledge and perspectives of Indigenous peoples, this work delivers a more nuanced, ethical and decolonising approach to issues arising from relationships with wilderness. Such a collection is immediately appropriate given the political challenges and social complexities of our time, and the mounting threats to life across the globe. The abiding and uniting logic of the book is to offer a unique and innovative contribution to engender transformations of wilderness scholarship, activism and conservation policy. This text refutes the inherent privileging and exclusionary tactics of dominant modes of enquiry that too often serve to silence non-human and contrary positions. It reveals a multi-faceted and contingent wilderness alive with agency, diversity and possibility. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of conservation, environmental and natural resource management, Indigenous studies and environmental policy and planning. It will also be of interest to practitioners, policymakers and NGOs involved in conservation, protected environments and environmental governance.

Focuses on tropical East Asia, where there are no competing books dealing with conservation of freshwater animals and their habitats. Takes a case-study based approach emphasizing the multiple, interacting threats facing freshwater animals, and draws attention to the conservation challenges that will be faced in mitigating them. Based on extensive experience in the region, the author points draws attention to the analogous threats to freshwater animals and human livelihoods in tropical East Asia, and demonstrates that unsustainable use of rivers and lakes by some stakeholders is detrimental both to other humans and aquatic biodiversity.

Home Gardens for Improved Food Security and Livelihoods demonstrates how home gardens hold particular significance for resource-poor and marginalized communities in developing countries, and how they offer a versatile strategy toward building local and more resilient food systems. With food and nutritional security being a major global challenge, there is an urgent need to find innovative ways to increase food production and diversify food sources while increasing income-generating opportunities for communities faced with hunger and poverty. This book shows that when implemented properly, home gardens can become just such an innovative solution, as well as an integral part of sustainable food security programs. It provides a conceptual overview of social, economic, environmental and nutritional issues related to home gardening in diverse contexts, including gender issues and biodiversity conservation, and presents case studies from Africa, Asia and Latin America highlighting home gardening experiences and initiatives. The volume concludes with a synthesis of key lessons learned and ways forward for further enhancing home gardens for sustainable food security and development. This book will be a useful read for students and scholars working on local food systems, food security, sustainable development and more broadly development strategy.

1. Provides a comprehensive overview of Vanadium in the total environment 2. Covers the role of Vanadium in various environments such as soils, sediments, water, and plants 3. Includes bioavailability studies and further case studies from various countries around the world 4. Focuses on a better understanding of biogeochemical processes of Vanadium 5. Written by international experts who present the current stage of the knowledge including innovative remediation and management approaches of vanadium-contaminated sites. This book with being of use to upper-level undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in Soil science, Environmental science, Soil ecology, Water science, Plant science, Ecotoxicology, Geology, Geography. Scientists, lecturers, environmental and technical engineers, ecologists, applied ecological scientists, and managers.

discusses the complexity of a number of topical debates about current land and wildlife management at a range of spatial scales. explores the underlying historical context. demonstrates how the findings from this project relate to agricultural and conservation policy more broadly as well as how they are applicable to similar projects throughout Europe.

Author Prof Jim Lynch is widely known and very experienced, well-connected with wide international networks, and globally distinguished. He was awarded the UNESCO Prize in Microbiology and Einstein Medal and Distinguished Scientist of the US Department of Agriculture. His OUP textbook Soil Microbiology was a bestseller. Taps directly into the topical area of the COVID-19 pandemic and One Health. Affordable and accessible to a wide interdisciplinary audience.

Author Prof Jim Lynch is widely known and very experienced, well-connected with wide international networks, and globally distinguished. He was awarded the UNESCO Prize in Microbiology and Einstein Medal and Distinguished Scientist of the US Department of Agriculture. His OUP textbook Soil Microbiology was a bestseller. Taps directly into the topical area of the COVID-19 pandemic and One Health. Affordable and accessible to a wide interdisciplinary audience.

This book is the first to integrate biological control into a conceptual framework - ecostacking - uniting all aspects of biological control and ecosystem services. In 2018 the "First International Congress of Biological Control" was organised and held in Beijing, China. The chapters highlight some of the achievements presented at the congress, worldwide. Of particular significance are the numerous contributions by Chinese researchers illustrating the remarkable progress made on developing and adopting multiple biological control strategies over vast agricultural areas, largely replacing chemical pesticides for sustainable agricultural and horticultural production. In many parts of the world including Europe, fragmented research based on short-term funding has been unable to answer to the needs to develop sustainable long-term solutions to crop protection, while colleagues in China have been successful in implementing programs that exemplify the power of the ecostacking approach. Key contributions by European and US specialists combined with the expertise and experiences by the Chinese contributors comprise the building blocks for the integration of biological control approaches into the overall frame of ecostacking. This book will lead the way to a broader, integrated adoption of biological control techniques in sustainable pest, disease and weed management supporting also the functioning of other key ecosystem services. Chapter 2 of this book isavailable open access under a CC BY 4.0 license at link.springer.com

Provides a comprehensive overview of community forestry, including case studies from across all continents Covers future challenges, major impediments and suggested solutions Addresses key environmental issues, such as climate change and conservation