Key Features A timely book for a still pressing problem Contributions by many of the leading figures in the debate. Summarizes the many new contributions to the field of recent years. For the use of upper level seminars and courses A dialogue format will generate further discussion

This volume focuses on the tree, as a cultural and biological form, and examines the concept of folk value and its implications for biocultural conservation. Folk value refers to the value of the more-than-human living world to cultural cohesion and survival, as opposed to individual well-being. This field of value, comprising cosmological, aesthetic, eco-erotic, sentimental, mnemonic value and much more, serves as powerful motivation for the local performance of environmental care. The motivation to maintain and conserve ecology for the purpose of cultural survival will be the central focus of this book, as the conditions of the Anthropocene urgently require the identification, understanding and support of enduring, self-perpetuating biocultural associations. The geographical scope is broad with chapters discussing different tree species from the Americas and the Caribbean, East Asia, Eurasia and Australia and Africa. By focusing on the tree, one of the most reliably cross-culturally-valued and cross-culturally-recognized biological forms, and one which invariably defines expansive landscapes, this work illuminates how folk value binds the survival of more-than-human life forms with the survival of specific peoples in the era of biocultural loss, the Anthropocene. As such, this collection of cross-cultural cases of tree folk value represents a low hanging fruit for the larger project of exploring the power of cultural value of the more-than-human living world. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of conservation, biodiversity, biocultural studies and environmental anthropology.

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.

Despite their enormous bulk and complexity of architecture, plants make up only around a quarter of a million of the 8 million or so species on Earth. The major components of biodiversity, instead, are the smaller, largely unseen, silent majority of invertebrates - most of which are arthropods. Vertebrates, a mere blip on the biotic horizon, are elevated in importance in the bigger scheme of things only by the human psyche.This collection of more than 30 peer-reviewed papers focuses on the diversity and conservation of arthropods, whose species inhabit virtually every recess and plane - and feature somewhere in virtually every food web - on the planet. Highlighting issues ranging from large-scale disturbance to local management, and from spatial heterogeneity to temporal patterns, these papers reflect some of the most exciting new research taking place today - and in some of the most biodiverse corners of the planet.

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.

This book examines the critical issue of environmental pollutants produced by the textiles industry. Comprised of contributions from environmental scientists and materials and textiles scientists, this edited volume addresses the environmental impact of microplastics, with a particular focus on microfibres released by textiles into marine and freshwater environments. The chapters in Part I offer environmental perspectives focusing on the measurement of microplastics in the environment, their ingestion by small plankton and larger filter feeders, the effects of consuming microplastics, and the role of microplastics as a vector for transferring toxic contaminants in food webs. Written by environmental and material scientists, the chapters in Part II present potential solutions to the problem of microplastics released from textiles, discussing parameters of influence, water treatment, degradation in aquatic environments, textile end-of-life management, textile manufacturing and laundry, and possible policy measures. This is a much needed volume which brings together in one place environmental research with technical solutions in order to provide a cohesive and practical approach to mitigating and preventing environmental pollution from the textiles industry going forward. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of environmental conservation and management, environmental pollution and environmental chemistry and toxicology, sustainability, as well as students and scholars of material and textiles science, textile engineering and sustainable manufacturing.

Microbial biofilms have both positive and negative effects. This book considers new ways of controlling environmental microbial biofilm such as using phages, nanotechnology, and newly discovered microbial enzymes. A team of contributors shares current, relevant and original research to add weight and recognition to the book. Also, each chapter provides enlightening and relevant tabular information, charts, and illustrations. The book is, therefore, informative, precise, useful and easily digested by users.

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.

The book contains detailed descriptions of the unique desert environment with particular emphasis on vegetation and survival strategies of plants. Nine expeditions through the Southwest of Western Australia over a period of 15 years triggered the interest of the authors to explore also some deserts in the region, which leads to three further excursions into the sandy dunes of the desert. Observations of plant life in the deserts focused not only on identifying plants, but also on gaining some understanding of the aboriginal desert people of centuries past, and their own survival strategies in such extreme conditions. Also part of the Canning Stock Route was followed and explored, but the most rewarding and interesting finds were done criss-crossing the desert away from highways, tracks, and paths. The most remote areas showed species richness and surviving strategies which by far exceeded expectations.

Microbes are the most abundant organisms in the biosphere and regulate many critical elemental and biogeochemical phenomena. Because microbes are the key players in the carbon cycle and in related biological reactions, microbial ecology is a vital research area for understanding the contribution of the biosphere in global warming and the response of the natural environment to climate variations. The beneficial uses of microbes have enabled constructive and cost-effective responses that have not been possible through physical or chemical methods. This new volume reviews the multifaceted interactions among microbes, ecosystems, and their pivotal role in maintaining a more balanced environment, in order to help facilitate living organisms coexisting with the natural environment. With extensive references, tables, and illustrations, this book provides valuable information on microbial utilization for environmental sustainability and provides fascinating insights into microbial diversity. Key features include: Looks at enhancing plant production through growth-promoting arbuscular mycorrhizae, endophytic bacteria, and microbiome networks Considers microbial degradation and environmental management of e-wastes and azo dyes Explores soil-plant microbe interactions in metal-contaminated soils Examines radiation-resistant thermophiles for engineered bioremediation Describes potential indigenous/effective microbes for wastewater treatment processes Presents research on earthworms and microbes for organic farming

Aurthored by a leading contributor to the Big History movement - the current Vice President of the International Big History Association (IBHA) Documents what the biosphere is, and what our position as humans within it is today. Describes how the biosphere has become the way it is. Summarizes the novel simple theoretical model proposed in the book, and thus, how the biosphere functions. Predicts what the possibilities and limitations are for future human action Emphasizes how simple but careful observations can lead to far-reaching theoretical implications.

1 The first book on data-driven national assessment of social, ecological, and economic rangeland sustainability 2 Written by leading experts who include real community case studies to personalize the assessment and impacts 3 Highlights data needs for future assessments to spur innovation in development of new techniques and technologies 4 Explains web-based mapping tools to help users create maps of sustainability metrics at their preferred scale of interest 5 Introduces a novel 3-dimensional triangle to depict sustainability ratings at variable scales

Focusing on ethnography and interviews with subsistence food producers, this book explores the resilience, innovation and creativity taking place in subsistence agriculture in America. To date, researchers interested in alternative food networks have often overlooked the somewhat hidden, unorganized population of household food producers. Subsistence Agriculture in the US fills this gap in the existing literature by examining the lived experiences of people taking part in subsistence food production. Over the course of the book, Colby draws on accounts from a broad and diverse network of people who are hunting, fishing, gardening, keeping livestock and gathering and looks in depth at the way in which these practical actions have transformed their relationship to labor and land. She also explores the broader implications of this pro-environmental activity for social change and sustainable futures. With a combination of rigorous academic investigation and engagement with pressing social issues, this book will be of great interest to scholars of sustainable consumption, environmental sociology and social movements.

examines how we can promote the role of indigenous peoples and local communities as environmental stewards and how we can ensure that their ways of life are protected. considers the lessons that can be learnt about the situation of indigenous peoples and local communities. investigates the nature and role of community protocols beyond issues of access to genetic resources and traditional knowledge

examines how we can promote the role of indigenous peoples and local communities as environmental stewards and how we can ensure that their ways of life are protected. considers the lessons that can be learnt about the situation of indigenous peoples and local communities. investigates the nature and role of community protocols beyond issues of access to genetic resources and traditional knowledge

Our lives and well being intimately depend on the exploitation of the plant genetic resources available to our breeding programs. Therefore, more extensive exploration and effective exploitation of plant genetic resources are essential prerequisites for the release of improved cultivars. Accordingly, the remarkable progress in genomics approaches and more recently in sequencing and bioinformatics offers unprecedented opportunities for mining germplasm collections, mapping and cloning loci of interest, identifying novel alleles and deploying them for breeding purposes. This book collects 48 highly interdisciplinary articles describing how genomics improves our capacity to characterize and harness natural and artificially induced variation in order to boost crop productivity and provide consumers with high-quality food. This book will be an invaluable reference for all those interested in managing, mining and harnessing the genetic richness of plant genetic resources.

Climate change has emerged as the most pressing global challenge of the 21st century and it has a dramatic effect on natural ecosystems and environment. Intelligent mitigation strategies to minimise climate change impacts can result in advanced, novel technologies; healthier aquatic ecosystems and higher food security and well-being for humans. The book includes 45 Chapters by expert authors, covering (i) Hydrometeorology and hydrology, (ii) Natural hazards and disaster risk management, (iii) Aquaculture, (iv) Changing biodiversity scenarios, (v) Capture fisheries, (vi) Food and nutritional insecurity, (vii) Climate change and socio-economic scenarios, and allied areas. It is hoped that this volume will further our understanding and research achievements in the field of climate change and its consequences and facilitate the synthesis of information on how climate-related changes will influence oceans, marine and inland ecosystems, hydrological cycles, fisheries and aquaculture and coastal communities and will be immensely useful to planners, scientists, conservationists, environmentalists, academicians, students and all those who are directly or indirectly involved in the study of impact of climate change and mitigation measures Note: T& F does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

This book examines the nexus between conservation, land conflicts, and sustainable tourism approaches in Southern Africa, with a focus on equity, access, restitution, and redistribution.

While Southern Africa is home to important biodiversity, pristine woodlands, and grasslands, and is a habitat for important wildlife species, it is also a land of contestations over its natural resources with a complex historical legacy and a wide variety of competing and conflicting issues surrounding race, cultural and traditional practices, and neoliberalism. Drawing on insights from conservation, environmental, and tourism experts, this volume presents the nexus between land conflicts and conservation in the region. The chapters reveal the hegemony of humans on land and associated resources including wildlife and minerals. By using social science approaches, the book unites environmental, scientific, social, and political issues, as it is imperative we understand the holistic nature of land conflicts in nature-based tourism. Discussing the management theories and approaches to community-based tourism in communities where there are or were land conflicts is critical to understanding the current state and future of tourism in African rural spaces. This volume determines the extent to which land reform impacts community-based tourism in Africa to develop resilient destination strategies and shares solutions to existing land conflicts to promote conservation and nature-based tourism.

The book will be of great interest to students, academics, development experts, and policymakers in the field of conservation, tourism geography, sociology, development studies, land use, and environmental management and African studies.

Table of Contents

1. Land Conflicts in Southern Africa: the sustainability of Tourism and Conservation

Regis Musavengane & Llewellyn Leonard

Part 1: Land governance and sustainable tourism management

2. An alternative governance approach towards addressing the intersection between mining developments and impacts on tourism and conservation sites in Southern Africa

Llewellyn Leonard

3. The Deepening Challenge of Governance of Wildlife and Land Issues in the Context of Rising Citizen Participation in South Africa

Tariro Kamuti

4. Leadership and Governance Intricacies in Communally-owned Protected Areas: The Case of Somkhanda Game Reserve, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

Oscar Mthimkhulu & Adrian Nel

Part 2: Managing natural disasters and land reform tourism crises

5. Complex effects of natural disasters on protected areas: the case of Cyclone Idai in Mozambique

Pekka Virtanen, Luis Cristóvão, & José Mourinho

6. The challenges and prospects of community-based tourism post Zimbabwe's land reform programme in the Midlands Province.

Zibanai Zhou & Dzingai Kennedy Nyahunzvi

7. A review of post-restitution land rights agreement conflicts and their resolution at &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve in KZN, South Africa

Jones Mudimu Muzirambi, Simon Naylor, & Kevin Mearns

8. Environmental Operational Research for Sustainable Tourism and Conflict Management in Community-based Natural Resources Management

Regis Musavengane

Part 3: Managing land use, access, and benefit-sharing conflicts

9. The state, community-based tourism and wildlife user rights in tourism concessions in Botswana

Joseph Mbaiwa & Emmanuel Mogende

10. COVID-19, conservation, and tourism in Namibia’s Conservancies: socioeconomic and land-use impacts

Eduard Gargallo & Jona Heita

11. Conflicts between Conservation and community livelihoods: lessons from KwaNibela and iSimangaliso Wetland Park, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Zwelakhe Thulasizwe Mascot Maseko & Inocent Moyo

12. The partially transformed frontier: Aspirations, limitations, and tensions of transfrontier conservation in the Maloti-Drakensberg

Oscar Mthimkhulu & Adrian Nel

Part 4: Conclusion

13. The future of community-based tourism amid socio-economic and political conflicts in Southern Africa

Llewellyn Leonard & Regis Musavengane

The natural world is full of awesome surprises, and the animal kingdom is no exception. As The Secret Lives of Animals reveals, it seems that the more we discover about the unusual species that populate our planet, the more we understand just how ingenious, resourceful and downright creative they can be! Did you know that red pandas are not only incredibly cute, but also master escape artists able to flee their enclosures in high security zoos all over the world with alarming frequency? Or that beautiful manta rays have not only been observed recognizing their own reflection in mirrors, but are also able to identify friendly divers and ask for their help when they're in a bit of a jam? Or that elephants, as well as having famously impressive memories, are also sophisticated communicators who send signals to each other using a wide range of body language? Or that parrots, as well as being amazing mimics, are able to learn dance moves? YouTube star Snowball, the dancing cockatoo, has a very entertaining fourteen-move repertoire. With charming and humorous illustrations from BAFTA-award-winning artist Greg McLeod (half of The Brothers McLeod), The Secret Lives of Animals is a window into some of the most complex and impressive minds of the animal kingdom, revealing the little-known skills and natural intuition that have allowed them to survive - and often have a little fun along the way.

Bringing together a wealth of knowledge, Environmental Management Handbook, Second Edition, gives a comprehensive overview of environmental problems, their sources, their assessment, and their solutions. Through in-depth entries and a topical table of contents, readers will quickly find answers to questions about environmental problems and their corresponding management issues. This six-volume set is a reimagining of the award-winning Encyclopedia of Environmental Management, published in 2013, and features insights from more than 500 contributors, all experts in their field. The experience, evidence, methods, and models used in studying environmental management are presented here in six stand-alone volumes, arranged along the major environmental systems. Features The first handbook that demonstrates the key processes and provisions for enhancing environmental management Addresses new and cutting-edge topics on ecosystem services, resilience, sustainability, food-energy-water nexus, socio-ecological systems, and more Provides an excellent basic knowledge on environmental systems, explains how these systems function, and offers strategies on how to best manage them Includes the most important problems and solutions facing environmental management today In this first volume, Managing Global Resources and Universal Processes, the reader is introduced to the general concepts and processes used in environmental management. As an excellent resource for finding basic knowledge on environmental systems, it reflects an extensive coverage of the field and includes the most important problems and solutions facing environmental management today. This book practically demonstrates the key processes, methods, and models used in studying environmental management.

Bringing together a wealth of knowledge, Environmental Management Handbook, Second Edition, gives a comprehensive overview of environmental problems, their sources, their assessment, and their solutions. Through in-depth entries and a topical table of contents, readers will quickly find answers to questions about environmental problems and their corresponding management issues. This six-volume set is a reimagining of the award-winning Encyclopedia of Environmental Management, published in 2013, and features insights from more than 400 contributors, all experts in their field. The experience, evidence, methods, and models used in studying environmental management are presented here in six stand-alone volumes, arranged along the major environmental systems. Features The first handbook that demonstrates the key processes and provisions for enhancing environmental management Addresses new and cutting-edge topics on ecosystem services, resilience, sustainability, food-energy-water nexus, socio-ecological systems, and more Provides an excellent basic knowledge on environmental systems, explains how these systems function, and offers strategies on how to best manage them Includes the most important problems and solutions facing environmental management today In this second volume, Managing Biological and Ecological Systems, the reader is introduced to the general concepts and processes of the biosphere and all its systems. This volume explains how these systems function and provides strategies on how to best manage them. It serves as an excellent resource for finding basic knowledge on the biosphere and ecological systems and includes important problems and solutions that environmental managers face today. This book practically demonstrates the key processes, methods, and models used in studying environmental management.

Sandy beaches are the most abundant coastal environments worldwide, which have an undeniable and unique ecological value. Presently, they are amongst the most endangered ecosystems in the biosphere, mainly due to the influence of several human activities. In this book, renowned scientists from around the world describe key attributes of sandy beaches and highlight the problems which impact them. Specific tools encompassing the physical environment and the biota are pointed out, at different levels of ecological organization. The book also covers suitable management, conservation programmes and respective actions, where ecologic, economic and social dimensions are comprehensively integrated.

Bringing together a wealth of knowledge, Environmental Management Handbook, Second Edition, gives a comprehensive overview of environmental problems, their sources, their assessment, and their solutions. Through in-depth entries and a topical table of contents, readers will quickly find answers to questions about environmental problems and their corresponding management issues. This six-volume set is a reimagining of the award-winning Encyclopedia of Environmental Management, published in 2013, and features insights from more than 400 contributors, all experts in their field. The experience, evidence, methods, and models used in studying environmental management are presented here in six stand-alone volumes, arranged along the major environmental systems. Features The first handbook that demonstrates the key processes and provisions for enhancing environmental management Addresses new and cutting-edge topics on ecosystem services, resilience, sustainability, food-energy-water nexus, socio-ecological systems, and more Provides an excellent basic knowledge on environmental systems, explains how these systems function, and offers strategies on how to best manage them Includes the most important problems and solutions facing environmental management today In this sixth volume, Managing Human and Social Systems, the reader is introduced to the general concepts and processes of all the environmental tools and their application to human and social systems. It explains how these systems function and provides strategies on how to best manage them. It serves as an excellent resource for finding basic knowledge on the human and social systems and includes important problems and solutions that environmental managers face today. This book practically demonstrates the key processes, methods, and models used in studying environmental management.

This study presents authentic data compiled from field experiments and investigations, and provides a point of reference for any future changes associated with anthropogenic activity in semiarid ecosystems. Three years of continuous and rigorous empirical research on biodiversity (from phytoplankton to higher plants and from zooplankton to higher animals - all flora and fauna) in India's semiarid region have culminated in this work. Though there are many studies available on issues related to biodiversity, the majority cover either specific groups of plants or groups of animals; with the exception of this book, studies that include all flora and fauna including the phyto- and zooplanktons in a given ecosystem are not readily available. Further, the book focuses on an extremely important topic, firstly because semiarid landscapes are highly vulnerable to climate change, and secondly because other developmental activities will be undertaken in the region in an effort to meet its energy requirements. As such, the results of the current study will provide a standard protocol for subsequent monitoring and mapping of biodiversity for conservation and management. The book explores, quantifies and surveys plant and animal species from aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, assessing and quantitatively analyzing the diversity indices of different vegetation strata. Further, it investigates the conservation status of each species (flora and fauna) in keeping with IUCN categories. The study also examines landscape dynamics using RS and GIS for vegetation analysis, and discusses traditional ecological knowledge related to the use, conservation and management of biodiversity. As such, it offers a unique and valuable resource not only for researchers from the environmental/ecological sciences but also for conservationists and policymakers.

Originally published in 1986, Floods and Drainage advanced hazard - response theory as developed mainly by the White/Burton/Kates school of researchers in North America. Based on fifteen years of research, the book rejects conventional theory's emphasis on personal response to hazardous environments, suggesting that this seriously detracts from the institutional and political forces that are so important in the analysis of hazard responses and policies. The book also seeks to provide material of practical relevance to environmental managers and engineers, rather than to present just research results.