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Books > Earth & environment > The environment > Conservation of the environment
The Flowering of Australia's Rainforests provides a comprehensive
introduction to the pollination ecology, evolution and conservation
of Australian rainforest plants, with particular emphasis on
subtropical rainforests and their associated pollinators. This
significantly expanded second edition includes new information on
the impact of climate change, fire, fragmentation and invasive
species. Rainforests continue to be a focus of global conservation
concern, not only from threats to biodiversity in general, but to
pollinators specifically. Within Australia, this has been
emphasised by recent cataclysmic fire impacts, ongoing extreme
drought events, and the wider consideration of climate change. This
second edition strengthens coverage of these issues beyond that of
the first edition. The Flowering of Australia's Rainforests makes
timely contributions to our understanding of the nature and
function of the world's pollinator fauna, plant-reproduction
dependencies, and the evolutionary pathway that has brought them to
their current state and function. Illustrated with 150 colour
plates of major species and rainforest formations, this reference
work will be of value to ecologists and field naturalists,
botanists, conservation biologists, ecosystemmanagers and community
groups involved in habitat restoration. FEATURES: Provides an
overview of the pollination ecology of Australia's rainforests in a
world rainforest context. In particular discusses the pollination
ecology of threatened subtropical rainforests, including the impact
of climate change, fragmentation, fire and invasive species.
Provides an introductory review of plant evolution and
plant-pollinator relationships. Discusses pollination syndromes and
the role and function of pollinator groups. Serves as a companion
volume to The Invertebrate World of Australia's Subtropical
Rainforests
This book summarizes current advances in our understanding of how
infectious disease represents an ecological interaction between a
pathogenic microorganism and the host species in which that microbe
causes illness. The contributing authors explain that pathogenic
microorganisms often also have broader ecological connections,
which can include a natural environmental presence; possible
transmission by vehicles such as air, water, and food; and
interactions with other host species, including vectors for which
the microbe either may or may not be pathogenic. This field of
science has been dubbed disease ecology, and the chapters that
examine it have been grouped into three sections. The first section
introduces both the role of biological community interactions and
the impact of biodiversity on infectious disease. In turn, the
second section considers those diseases directly affecting humans,
with a focus on waterborne and foodborne illnesses, while also
examining the critical aspect of microbial biofilms. Lastly, the
third section presents the ecology of infectious diseases from the
perspective of their impact on mammalian livestock and wildlife as
well as on humans. Given its breadth of coverage, the volume offers
a valuable resource for microbial ecologists and biomedical
scientists alike.
Austere and immense, the Arctic region is a fascinating topic for
intrepid travelers and stay at home students alike. This new guide
in the Pocket Naturalist series covers the variety of flora and
fauna that have adapted to this incredible, remote environment with
trademark beauty and accuracy.
A truly unique ecosystem, the Arctic remains one of the few areas
on Earth with very little human habitation. Many species truly run
free in the Arctic and there is a wide variety of vegetation
including shrubs, grasses, mosses, sedges and lichens. These plants
provide food and cover for a variety of small animals including
lemmings, voles and hares which are a critical food source for
larger mammals including the Arctic fox. Large mammals unique to
the Arctic include the polar bear, musk ox, walrus, caribou
(reindeer), bowhead whale and bearded seal.
Tourism to this region has experienced incredible growth in the
last decade with more and more people hoping to experience a region
only visited by explorers previously. This new Pocket Naturalist
Guide will be a must-have for anyone planning to visit the region
or anyone hoping to visit in the future.
'Vanessa Nakate continues to teach a most critical lesson. She
reminds us that while we may all be in the same storm, we are not
all in the same boat.' - Greta Thunberg No matter your age,
location or skin colour, you can be an effective activist.
Devastating flooding, deforestation, extinction and starvation.
These are the issues that not only threaten in the future, they are
a reality. After witnessing some of these issues first-hand,
Vanessa Nakate saw how the world's biggest polluters are asleep at
the wheel, ignoring the Global South where the effects of climate
injustice are most fiercely felt. Inspired by a shared vision of
hope, Vanessa's commanding political voice demands attention for
the biggest issue of our time and, in this rousing manifesto for
change, shows how you can join her to protect our planet now and
for the future. Vanessa realized the importance of her place in the
climate movement after she, the only Black activist in an image
with four white Europeans, was cropped out of a press photograph at
Davos in 2020. This example illustrates how those who will see the
biggest impacts of the climate crisis are repeatedly omitted from
the conversation. As she explains, 'We are on the front line, but
we are not on the front page.' Without A Bigger Picture, you're
missing the full story on climate change. 'An indispensable voice
for our future.' - Malala Yousafzai 'A powerful global voice.' -
Angelina Jolie
This book comprehensively describes essential research and projects
on climate change and biodiversity. Moreover, it includes
contributions on how to promote the climate agenda and biodiversity
conservation at the local level. Climate change as a whole and
global warming in particular are known to have a negative impact on
biodiversity in three main ways. Firstly, increases in temperatures
are detrimental to a number of organisms, especially those in
sensitive habitats such as coral reefs and rainforests. Secondly,
the pressures posed by a changing climate may lead to sets of
responses in areas as varied as phenology, range and physiology of
living organisms, often leading to changes in their lifecycles
(especially but not only in reproduction), losses in productivity
or even death. In some cases, the very survival of very sensitive
species may be endangered. Thirdly, the impacts of climate change
on biodiversity will be felt in the short term with regard to some
species and ecosystems, but also in the medium and long term in
many biomes. Indeed, if left unchecked, some of these impacts may
be irreversible. Many individual governments, financial institutes
and international donors are currently spending billions of dollars
on projects addressing climate change and biodiversity, but with
little coordination. Quite often, the emphasis is on adaptation
efforts, with little emphasis on the connections between
physio-ecological changes and the lifecycles and metabolisms of
fauna and flora, or the influence of poor governance on
biodiversity. As such, there is a recognized need to not only
better understand the impacts of climate change on biodiversity,
but to also identify, test and implement measures aimed at managing
the many risks that climate change poses to fauna, flora and
micro-organisms. In particular, the question of how to restore and
protect ecosystems from the impact of climate change also has to be
urgently addressed. This book was written to address this need. The
respective papers explore matters related to the use of an
ecosystem-based approach to increase local adaptation capacity,
consider the significance of a protected areas network in
preserving biodiversity in a changing northern European climate,
and assess the impacts of climate change on specific species,
including wild terrestrial animals. The book also presents a
variety of case studies such as the Yellowstone to Yukon
Conservation Initiative, the effects of climate change on the
biodiversity of Aleppo pine forest in Senalba (Algeria), climate
change and biodiversity response in the Niger Delta region, and the
effects of forest fires on the biodiversity and the soil
characteristics of tropical peatlands in Indonesia. This is a truly
interdisciplinary publication, and will benefit all scholars,
social movements, practitioners and members of governmental
agencies engaged in research and/or executing projects on climate
change and biodiversity around the world.
Forests have been at the fault lines of contact between African
peasant communities in the Tanzanian coastal hinterland and
outsiders for almost two centuries. In recent decades, a global
call for biodiversity preservation has been the main challenge to
Tanzanians and their forests.
Thaddeus Sunseri uses the lens of forest history to explore some
of the most profound transformations in Tanzania from the
nineteenth century to the present. He explores anticolonial
rebellions, the world wars, the depression, the Cold War, oil
shocks, and nationalism through their intersections with and
impacts on Tanzania's coastal forests and woodlands. In "Wielding
the Ax," forest history becomes a microcosm of the origins, nature,
and demise of colonial rule in East Africa and of the first fitful
decades of independence.
"Wielding the Ax "is a story of changing constellations of power
over forests, beginning with African chiefs and forest spirits,
both known as "ax-wielders," and ending with international
conservation experts who wield scientific knowledge as a means to
controlling forest access. The modern international concern over
tropical deforestation cannot be understood without an awareness of
the long-term history of these forest struggles.
"Sustainability science addresses the central challenge facing
global society of how to reduce poverty and meet demands of a large
human population desiring a good life while simultaneously
maintaining the environment that provides the life support system
on which long-term prosperity depends. This book provides evidence
and insight into key elements of what is required to achieve
sustainability by framing important policy questions and
illustrating the consequences of policy alternatives in systems
with complex interactions." - Stephen Polasky, University of
Minnesota "Sustainability Science can be both fundamental and
practical, both deep and interdisciplinary. This application of
Sustainability Science to Pacific watersheds illustrates its
promise." - Peter Vitousek, Stanford University
Authored by world-class scientists and scholars, the Handbook of
Natural Resources, Second Edition, is an excellent reference for
understanding the consequences of changing natural resources to the
degradation of ecological integrity and the sustainability of life.
Based on the content of the bestselling and CHOICE awarded
Encyclopedia of Natural Resources, this new edition demonstrates
the major challenges that the society is facing for the
sustainability of all wellbeing on planet Earth. The experience,
evidence, methods, and models used in studying natural resources
are presented in six stand-alone volumes, arranged along the main
systems: land, water, and air. It reviews state-of-the-art
knowledge, highlights advances made in different areas, and
provides guidance for the appropriate use of remote sensing data in
the study of natural resources on a global scale. The six volumes
in this set cover: Terrestrial Ecosystems and Biodiversity;
Landscape and Land Capacity; Wetlands and Habitats; Fresh Water and
Watersheds; Coastal and Marine Environments; and finally Atmosphere
and Climate. Written in an easy-to-reference manner, the Handbook
of Natural Resources, Second Edition, as a complete set, is
essential for anyone looking for a deeper understanding of the
science and management of natural resources. Public and private
libraries, educational and research institutions, scientists,
scholars, and resource managers will benefit enormously from this
set. Individual volumes and chapters can also be used in a wide
variety of both graduate and undergraduate courses in environmental
science and natural science courses at different levels and
disciplines, such as biology, geography, Earth system science,
ecology, etc.
This book is about tropical biology in action- how biologists
grapple with the ecology and evolution of the great species
diversity in tropical rainforests and coral reefs. Tropical
rainforests are home to 50% of all the plant and animal species on
earth, though they cover only about 2% of the planet. Coral reefs
hold 25% of the world's marine diversity, though they represent
only 0.1 % of the world's surface. The increase in species richness
from the poles to the tropics has remained enigmatic to naturalists
for more than 200 years. How have so many species evolved in the
tropics? How can so many species coexist there? At a time when
rainforests and coral reefs are shrinking, when the earth is facing
what has been called the sixth mass extinction, understanding the
evolutionary ecology of the tropics is everyone's business. Despite
the fundamental importance of the tropics to all of life on earth,
tropical biology has evolved relatively slowly and with
difficulties - economic, political, and environmental. This book is
also about tropical science in context, situated in the complex
socio-political history, and the rich rainforests and coral reefs
of Panama. There are no other books on the history of tropical
ecology and evolution or on the Smithsonian Tropical Research
Institute. Thus situated in historical context, Jan Sapp's aim is
to understand how naturalists have studied and conceptualized the
great biological diversity and entangled ecology of tropics. This
book has potential to be used in tropical biology classes, ecology
courses, evolutionary ecology and it could also be useful in
classes on the history of biology.
The book focuses on environment and conservation issues pertaining
to the Himalayas, spanning Pakistan, Nepal, India, Bhutan and
Myanmar. Environmental degradation, changes in snow cover and
glaciers in India-Bhutan, threats to protected areas, and
biodiversity in this ecologically fragile region are assessed in
twelve distinct, regional case studies.
This book integrates the different prospective, scientific and
practical experience of researchers as well as beneficiaries and
stakeholders in the field of forest conservation in Southeast
Europe. The book stresses the importance of improving the
adaptability of these ecosystems to the impacts of climate change.
Gathered around a common idea, the book presents the latest results
in forest genetic resources conservation at national and regional
level. The chapters are written by experts from: Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, FYR Macedonia, Greece, Montenegro,
Romania, Serbia and Slovenia. The book presents the current state,
legal and institutional framework for conservation and management
of forest genetic resources, case studies and best practices in the
application of different conservation methods and techniques (in
situ and ex situ) as well as climate change aspects in this area.
This book will be of particular interest to scientists and experts
in the field of forestry, environmental protection and rural
development, bachelor, master and doctoral students, as well as for
anyone interested in the conservation issues fuelled by ethical and
economic motives.
Lewis Island in Lambertville, New Jersey, is the site of the Lewis
Fishery, the last haul seine American shad fishery on the nontidal
Delaware River. The Lewis family has fished in the same spot since
1888 and operated the fishery through five generations. The
extended Lewis family, its fishery's crew, and the Lambertville
community connect with people throughout the region, including
environmentalists concerned about the river. It was a Lewis who
raised the alarm and helped resurrect a polluted river and its
biosphere. While this once exclusively masculine activity is
central to the tiny island, today men, women, and children fish,
living out a sense of place, belonging, and sustainability. In
Another Haul: Narrative Stewardship and Cultural Sustainability at
the Lewis Family Fishery, author Charlie Groth highlights the
traditional, vernacular, and everyday cultural expressions of the
family and crew to understand how community, culture, and the
environment intersect. Groth argues there is a system of narrative
here that combines verbal activities and everyday activities. On
the basis of over two decades of participation and observation,
interviews, surveys, and a wide variety of published sources, Groth
identifies a phenomenon she calls ""narrative stewardship."" This
narrative system, emphasizing place, community, and commitment, in
turn, encourages environmental and cultural stewardship, tradition,
and community. Intricate and embedded, the system appears
invisible, but careful study unpacks and untangles how people,
often unconsciously, foster sustainability. Though an ethnography
of an occupation, the volume encourages readers to consider what
arises as special about all cultures and what needs to be seen and
preserved.
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