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Books > Earth & environment > Geography > Physical geography > Forests, rainforests
This new edition of Conservation and Management of Tropical
Rainforests applies the large body of knowledge, experience and
tradition available to those who study tropical rainforests.
Revised and updated in light of developments in science,
technology, economics, politics, etc. and their effects on tropical
forests, it describes the principles of integrated conservation and
management that lead to sustainability, identifying the unifying
phenomena that regulate the processes within the rainforest and
that are fundamental to the ecosystem viability. Features of the
natural forest and the socio-cultural ecosystems which can be
mimicked in the design of self-sustaining forests are also
discussed. A holistic approach to the management and conservation
of rainforests is developed throughout the book. The focus on
South-East Asian forestry will be widened to include Africa and
Latin America. Recent controversial issues such as biofuels and
carbon credits with respect to tropical forests and their
inhabitants will be discussed. This book is a substantial
contribution to the literature, it is a valuable resource for all
those concerned with rainforests. Cover Photo: The group of five
Iban resting on rocky cliffs in the Ulu Katibas in 1957 were
traditional shag (Sect. 2.2, p. 86) farmers from the longhouse of
Penguluh Ngali in the steep-hilly Ulu Ai (Ai river headwaters)
below the Lanyak Entimau Protected Forest in the PFE (see p. 339).
They were part of the native Iban complement in an exploratory
survey by F.G. Browne, (Chief) Conservator of Forests Sarawak and
Chairman of the Iban Resettlement Board, myself as SFO Kuching and
team leader, and my assistant, D. Parson. We had crossed the
watershed eastward along a former headhunter trail and got lost for
an additional week in the legendary, fascinatingly wild, almost
virgin-primary, timber- and biodiversity/species-rich Mixed
Dipterocarp Forest (MDF, see pp. xiv and 397) of the Ulu
Katibas-Kapuas hill country. Our mission was to assess three
alternative land-use options: logging and conversion to production
forestry; agriculture; or TPA-NP (pp. xiv-xv). Our conclusion at
the end of the crossing was that only TPA - NP was feasible; the
Iban farming community had to be resettled on better, more suitable
land and soil in Northern Sarawak. Upon returning to Kuching, we
recommended the creation of a large, continuous TPA-NP. Iban
villagers, tribal leaders and the Government (Governor Sir Anthony
Abell) agreed. Strict adherence to the decreed Forest Policy (see
pp. 171-173) and the application of the classic phronesis approach
(see p. 341) had ensured the establishment and survival of large
tracts of MDF and other forest types as TPA, such as the Batang Ai
National Park (20,040 ha), Ulu Sebuyau National Park (18,287 ha)
and Lanyak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary (182,983 ha), and enabled
their inclusion in the current Malaysian (Sarawak and
Sabah)-Indonesian transboundary 'Heart of Borneo' programme of
biodiversity, species preservation, nature conservation and
environmental protection (Photo EFB, 1957).
This book is a guide for the maintenance of the helath and well-being of landscape trees. The authors describe general maintenance practices such as planting, pruning, fertilizing, repairing, diagnosing and managing tree problems. This is followed by an extensive section on the diagnosis and control of specific tree pests and diseases.
This book investigates radiocesium movement in all major components
of forest ecosystems, e.g. the plants, animals, insects,
microorganisms, and soils, during the initial stage of
contamination after the incident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power
Plant. Most of the work was conducted at a common research site.
More specifically, the book examines the contribution of surface
uptake by trees in the dynamics of radiocesium during the initial
contamination stage; the movement of radiocesium in the form of
small organic fragments that are essential to the radiocesium
dynamics in forest ecosystems; and the upward movement of
radiocesium due to microorganism activity, which promotes the
effective decontamination of the forest floor. Lastly, it explains
why spiders could be a valuable indicator of the contamination
level in forest ecosystems.
Igapo forests are a common part of the Amazon whose ecosystems are
critical to our shared human future. The introduction addresses the
structure, function and dynamics of igapo forests in the Amazon
basin, focusing on their uniqueness due to their high level of
complexity defined as the many ways that different components of
igapo forests in the Amazon basin ecosystem interact and also on
how those interactions are on a higher-order compared to other
tropical forests. The text then breaks down the igapo ecosystem
using these sections: (1) Igapo forests over space and time, (2)
Water, light and soils, (3) The carbon cycle, (4) Litter, fungi and
invertebrates, (5) Vertebrates, (6) Plant population studies, (7)
Plant community studies, and (8) Human impacts and management.
Experts from around the world serve as chapter authors that review
what is known about their specific part of the igapo ecosystem,
what research they have done, and also what needs to be done in the
future.
This book systematically discusses the vegetation dynamics in
northern China since the LGM, with a focus on three dominant tree
species (Pinus, Quercus and Betula). By integrating methods of
palaeoecology, phylogeography and species distribution model, it
reconstructs the glacial refugia in northern China, demonstrating
that the species were located further north than previously assumed
during the LGM. The postglacial dynamics of forest distribution
included not only long-distance north-south migration but also
local spread from LGM micro-refugia in northern China. On the
regional scale, the book shows the altitudinal migration pattern of
the three dominant tree genera and the role of topographical
factors in the migration of the forest-steppe border. On the
catchment scale, it analyzes Huangqihai Lake, located in the
forest-steppe ecotone in northern China, to indentify the local
forest dynamics response to the Holocene climatic change. It shows
that local forests have various modes of response to the climate
drying, including shrubland expansion, savannification and
replacement of steppe. In brief, these studies at different
space-time scales illustrate the effects of climate, topography and
other factors on forest migration.
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