Globally rainforests are under threat on numerous fronts, including clearing for agriculture, harvesting for timber and urban expansion. Yet they have a crucial role in biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and providing other ecosystem services. As the term is used in this book, rainforests include both temperate and tropical, although the emphasis is on tropical rainforests. Rainforests are also attractive tourist spaces and where they have been used as a tourism resource have generated significant income for local communities. However not all use of rainforests as a tourism resource has been sustainable. This book argues that sustainability must be the foundation on which tourism use of this complex but ultimately fragile ecosystem must be built upon. It provides a multi-disciplinary perspective, incorporating rainforest science, management and tourism issues. The book is organized into four sections commencing with Rainforest Ecology and Management followed by People and Rainforests, Opportunities for Rainforest Tourism Development and finally Threats to Rainforests. Each major rainforest region is covered, including the Amazon, Central America, Africa, Australia and south-east Asia, in the context of a specific issue. For example rainforests in Papua New Guinea are examined in the context of community-based ecotourism development, while the rainforests in Borneo are discussed in an examination of wildlife issues. Other issues covered in this manner include governance, empowerment issues for rainforest peoples and climate change.

The Nile River and its basin extend over a distinctive geophysical cord connecting eleven sovereign states from Egypt to Tanzania, which are home to an estimated population of 422.2 million people. The Nile is an essential source of water for domestic, industrial and agricultural uses throughout the basin, yet for more than a century it has been at the centre of continuous and conflicting claims and counter-claims to rights of utilization of the resource. In this book the author examines the multifaceted legal regulation of the Nile. He re-constructs the legal and historical origin and functioning of the British Nile policies in Ethiopia by examining the composition of the Anglo-Ethiopian Treaty of 1902, and analyses its ramifications on contemporary riparian discourse involving Ethiopia and Sudan. The book also reflects on two fairly established legal idioms - the natural and historical rights expressions - which constitute central pillars of the claims of downstream rights in the Nile basin; the origin, essence and legal authority of the notions has been assessed on the basis of the normative dictates of contemporary international watercourses law. Likewise, the book examines the non-treaty based claims of rights of the basin states to the Nile waters, setting out what the equitable uses principle entails as a means of reconciling competing riparian interests, and most importantly, how its functioning affects contemporary legal settings. The author then presents the concentrated diplomatic movements of the basin states in negotiations on the Transitional Institutional Mechanism of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) - pursued since the 1990's, and explains why the substance of water use rights still continued to be perceived diversely among basin states. Finally, the specific legal impediments that held back progress in negotiations on the Nile Basin Cooperative Framework are presented in context.

Spatial Thinking in Environmental Contexts: Maps, Archives, and Timelines cultivates the spatial thinking "habit of mind" as a critical geographical view of how the world works, including how environmental systems function, and how we can approach and solve environmental problems using maps, archives, and timelines. The work explains why spatial thinking matters as it helps readers to integrate a variety of methods to describe and analyze spatial/temporal events and phenomena in disparate environmental contexts. It weaves together maps, GIS, timelines, and storytelling as important strategies in examining concepts and procedures in analyzing real-world data and relationships. The work thus adds significant value to qualitative and quantitative research in environmental (and related) sciences. Features Written by internationally renowned experts known for taking complex ideas and finding accessible ways to more broadly understand and communicate them. Includes real-world studies explaining the merging of disparate data in a sensible manner, understandable across several disciplines. Unique approach to spatial thinking involving animated maps, 3D maps, GEOMATs, and story maps to integrate maps, archives, and timelines—first across a single environmental example and then through varied examples. Merges spatial and temporal views on a broad range of environmental issues from traditional environmental topics to more unusual ones involving urban studies, medicine, municipal/governmental application, and citizen-scientist topics. Provides easy to follow step-by-step instructions to complete tasks; no prior experience in data processing is needed.

This book explores conservation practices on private land, based on research conducted with landholders in the hinterlands of Melbourne, Australia. It examines how conservation is pursued as an intimate interaction between people and ecologies, suggesting that local ecologies are lively participants in this process, rather than simply the object of conservation, and that landholders develop their ideas of environmental stewardship through this interaction. The book also explores the consequences of private property as a form of spatial organisation for conservation practice; the role of formative interactions with ecologies in producing durable experiential knowledge; how the possibilities for contemporary conservation practice are shaped by historical landscape modification; and how landholders engage with conservation covenants and payment schemes as part of their conservation practice. The authors conclude with ideas on how goals and approaches to private land conservation might be reframed amid calls for just social and ecological outcomes in an era of rapid environmental change.

Up to 20 percent of species may be extinct by 2030. Vividly presented through full-colour maps and graphics, this fully revised and updated atlas profiles species lost, threatened and surviving today. It examines different ecosystems, the major threats to their inhabitants and steps being taken towards conservation. Fully revised and updated, containing new maps covering environmental impacts of human development including climate change and damage caused by deep-sea trawling and mining Updated maps and data on birds, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates and fish and of the increasing area of wetlands covered by the Ramsar Convention The latest information on endangered mammal species such as the panda, the Arabian oryx and the bonobo

Fingerponds are earthen ponds dug at the edge of natural wetlands and stocked naturally with wild fish during flooding. They preserve the wetland environment in which they are situated while maintaining a productive culture system. In this study, the importance of organic manure applications in enhancing nutrient levels, phytoplankton and periphyton productivities and ultimately fish production was examined in experimental Fingerponds set up with the participation of local communities in Uganda. Results show that organic manures enhance algal development and fish production in Fingerponds, but close monitoring and control are needed. Fish yields in Fingerponds can be enhanced to 1500 - 2800 kg/ha over a functional period of 200 to 300 days using animal manure (e.g. chicken), fermented green manure and artificial substrates for periphyton development. Good management practices are required to regulate pond inputs and conditions. High clay turbidity, nitrogen limitation and high recruitment of fish can limit fish production. Overall, Fingerponds were shown to be an effective addition to protein production for poor riparian communities in East Africa and are recommended for adoption.

Building a Survival Kit will help you to survive adverse outdoor conditions: heat, cold or extreme weather. Staying warm and dry is essential and you'll learn how to protect your Core Temperature (CTC) while saving (heat) calories through less energy output. Tips will include essential supplies to bring should an emergency occur. This guide is waterproof and nearly indestructible. It can fit in a back pocket so you can have vital information when you need it. A must-have for the serious wilderness explorer. Co-authored by noted survival expert and woodsman Dave Canterbury, this is one of a 10-part series on survival skills.

The Mekong Basin in Southeast Asia is one of the largest international river basins in the world. Its abundant natural resources are shared by six riparian countries and provide the basis for the livelihoods of more than 75 million people. However, ongoing socio-economic growth and related anthropogenic interventions impact the region's ecosystems, and there is an urgent need for the monitoring of the basin's land surface dynamics. Remote sensing has evolved as a key tool for this task, allowing for up-to-date analyses and regular monitoring of environmental dynamics beyond physical or political boundaries and at various temporal and spatial scales. This book serves as a forum for remote-sensing scientists with an interest in the Mekong River Basin to present their recent basin-related works as well as applied case studies of the region. A broad range of sensors from high to medium resolution, and from multispectral to SAR systems, are applied, covering topics such as land cover/land use classification and comparison, time series analyses of climate variables, vegetation structure and vegetation productivity, as well as studies on flood mapping or water turbidity monitoring. This book was originally published as a special issue of the International Journal of Remote Sensing.

Weather provides a wide variety of stimuli for our senses. The sound of thunder and gales, the smell of damp soil at the start of a summer thunderstorm are but temporary phenomena while the visual panorama of the changing sky that provides a more revealing insight into the workings of the dynamic atmosphere. Understanding Weather shows how it is possible to understand weather and climate by combining our ability to observe weather systems from the earth's surface with visualisation from above - notably by means of satellite imagery. This fusion of human observation with the contrasting capabilities of remote sensing gives us a new perspective for exploring the three dimensional atmosphere. Remote sensing imagery and real-time weather information are now widely available through the internet, allowing the reader to relate the case studies to today's weather situation. As with all sciences, understanding starts with careful observation. This books aims to show that it is possible to analyse global weather systems through a visual approach rather than the traditional use of mathematics and physics. After examining the interaction of atmospheric heat, moisture and motion in a non-technical style, the contrasting but complementary techniques of weather observation from 'below' and 'above' are compared. The world's climates are then surveyed with key weather features illustrated by satellite imagery, highlighting the way in which weather events may develop into atmospheric hazards.

This book offers a comprehensive and detailed summary of our knowledge and understanding of glaciers and sets them within a global environment context. The text explains the significance both of recent advances in glaciology, and of teh many research problms that remain to be solved. The accessible style adopted in the text facilitates a clear understanding of glaciers and the role they play in global issues such as environmental change, geoorphology and hydrology. The use of complex mathematics is avoided as the reader is introduced to important concepts and techniques in modern glaciology such as deforming beds, migrating ice-divides and stable isotope analysis. This is an essential reference book for sutdents, professional geologists and researchers and would be ideal for those who want either a rapid up-date or an introduction to the subject. The books' discussion of recent discoveries and of reserch issues for the future, supported by a thorough reference list, enables readers to pursue their own areas of particular interest.

A clear, concise discussion of today's hottest topics in climate change, including adapting to climate change and geo-engineering to mitigate the effects of change, Engineering Response to Climate Change, Second Edition takes on the tough questions of what to do and offers real solutions to the practical problems caused by radical changes in the Earth's climate. From energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions reduction, to climate-altering technologies, this new edition explores the latest concerns such as acidification of the ocean, energy efficiency, transportation, space solar power, and future and emerging possibilities. The editors set the stage by discussing the separate issues of the emissions of radiatively important atmospheric constituents, energy demand, energy supply, agriculture, water resources, coastal hazards, adaption strategies, and geo-engineering. They explain the difference between the natural and human drivers of climate change and describe how humans have influenced the global climate during past decades. Each chapter concludes with discussion questions, calculations, and possible research topics. See What's in the Second Edition: New conceptual tools and research necessary for problems associated with fossil fuels Cutting-edge topics such as adaption and geo-engineering The latest concerns such as acidification of the ocean, energy efficiency, transportation, and space solar power Solutions to problems caused by changes in the Earth's climate So much has changed in the 15 years since the publication of the first edition, that this is, in effect, a completely new book. However, the general theme is the same: the climate energy problem has become largely an engineering problem. With this in mind, the book explores what engineers can do to prevent, mitigate, or adapt to climate change.

As coastal populations burgeon, problems of erosion, pollution and coastal change are becoming ever more serious and necessitate scientifically informed management strategies. This authoritative new study discusses the causes of, and possible solutions to, some of the more pressing problems at the coast, against a background of the natural geomorphological and ecological workings of coastal environments. A holistic approach to the understanding of coastal problems is suggested, which integrates geomorphology, ecology and society through a consideration of the basic processes at work. Coastal problems are caused by both human and natural impacts, often working in conjunction with each other; thus drawing on their wide experience of temperate and tropical coasts the authors consider all types of coastal problems, ranging from those produced entirely naturally to those where the human impact dominates. Extensive use is made of case studies drawn from around the world, from beach erosion along the Nigerian coast to the recovery of the Vietnamese mangroves from war damage. A major theme of the book is that, given recent downgrading of predictions of future sea level rise, it is the distinctive geomorphological, ecological and societal aspects of each coast which are the vital factors. 'Coastal Problems' brings together material vital to any attempts to understand and manage our coasts and will be of interest to all those concerned with the environment and its management.

First Published in 1978, The Circumpolar North is designed for anyone with a more than superficial interest in the northern regions of our planet, geographical, economic, social, or political. The primary importance of North today is as a source of raw materials, as a world crossroads, and as a touchstone of the way nations behave towards their minority groups. Strategic considerations have led to the expenditure of vast sums of money; but world population expansion has not yet affected the northlands and their preservation in a natural state is still a feasible objective. The authors are experts in their own areas and have provided regional chapters on each of the land and ocean areas. The book compares the different approaches of the countries involved and deals also, in the context of the northern seas, with another political dimension – the relations between nations and their success in achieving international management of resources. This is an interesting read for scholars of geography, international relations and international economics.

The soil is a fundamental constituent of the Earth's system, maintaining a careful state of equilibrium within the biosphere. However, this natural balance is being increasingly disturbed by a variety of anthropogenic and natural processes, leading to the degradation of many soil environments. Soil Management provides a comprehensive and authoritative introduction to the many problems, challenges and potential solutions facing soil management in the twenty-first century. Covering a range of topics, including erosion, desertification, salinization, soil structure, carbon sequestration, acidification and chemical pollution, the book also develops a prognosis for the future of soil management in the face of growing populations and global warming. Written with the needs of students in mind, each chapter provides a broad overview of a problem, analyses approaches to its solution and concludes with references and suggestions for further reading. Soil Management will be of great value to environmental science and geography undergraduates taking soil management courses in their second or third year.

Why do we travel? Are holidays good for our health? What are the social and psychological factors that drive us to move? The Psychology of Travel provides an eclectic introduction to the range of travel experiences from commuting, to going on holiday, to studying abroad. Travel is a near-universal experience and manifests itself in various forms, from everyday experiences to exotic adventure, although it varies across time and cultures. The book unpacks the concept of travel, and engages with topics including migration, wellbeing, acculturation, wayfinding, slow travel, place attachment and nostalgia, and brings them into sharp focus in relation to globalisation and climate change, By asking what drives us to journey and offering key insights into the psychological factors behind different kinds of travel, The Psychology of Travel introduces the reader to new ways of thinking about global mobility and movement.

Originally published in 1975 and in a second edition in 1980, Plant Geography was the first text in biogeography that provided an adequate treatment of modern plant population theory. It is an introduction to the subject for students of both geography and biology. The author develops a series of plant geographic concepts that are based primarily in plant population biology, treating in turn processes that operate at the level of the individual plant and the plant population; interactions between plant populations; environmental conditions and plant dissemination in shaping plant species’ distributions, and the geography of vegetation. Emphasis throughout is placed upon the dynamic nature of the earth’s plant cover, and the interplay between contemporary conditions and historical events in shaping plant distributions and evolution.

First Published in 1996. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

This book bridges the gap between economic and ecological theory and practice. Its main focus is on how the principles of the Austrian School of economics could improve the validity of Ecosystem Services. The concept of 'Ecosystem Services' is a relatively recent innovation in environmental thought. The current system is dependent upon mainstream economic theory, in which monetary and fiscal policy controls the prevailing health of the economy. The dependence on this approach to finance, Muddiman argues, limits the potential of ecosystem services and exacerbates the effects of the existing flawed economic model. The book highlights the links between ecological and economic methodologies and concepts and outlines how the principles of Austrian Economic theory could provide better environmental outcomes. It then goes on to formulate approaches to ecosystem services which could act as drivers towards a new biodiversity-based economic framework built around distributed ledger technology, or 'blockchain'. The key distinction of this book is its consideration of ecosystem services as a function of the current economic system. Using this as a starting point it investigates how an alternative economic model would achieve the integration of environmental considerations into economic decision making.

Large river systems throughout the planet have been dramatically transformed due to river control projects such as large dams and embankments. Unlike other major human impacts like anthropogenic climate change, the alteration of river systems has been deliberate and planned by a small, powerful set of experts. Taking India as a case study, this book examines the way experts transform the planet through their discourse by their advocacy of river projects. This book identifies the spatial aspects of the norms through which the ideal river and the deficient river in need of control are produced. The role of governmental rationality in explaining the seemingly irrational and counter-productive effects of large projects like Kosi river embankments is considered. Finally using autobiographical material, the subjectivity of expert advice is examined, questioning its presumed objectivity. By examining the different subjective stances arising from the same body of expertise, this book discusses the consequences this has for river control specifically and for the relation between expertise and environmental change in general.

This book provides a new interpretation of international law specifically dedicated to Indigenous peoples in the context of a climate justice approach. The book presents a critical analysis of past and current developments at the intersection of human rights and international environmental law and governance. The book suggests new ways forward and demonstrates the need for a paradigmatic shift that would enhance the meaningful participation of Indigenous peoples as fundamental actors in the conservation of biodiversity and in the fight against climate change. The book offers guidance on a number of critical intersecting and interdependent issues at the forefront of climate change law and policy - inside and outside of the UN climate change regime. The author suggests that the adoption of a critical perspective on international law is needed in order to highlight inherent structural and systemic issues of the international law regime which are all issues that ultimately impede the pursue of climate justice for Indigenous peoples.

River Channel Management is the first book to deal comprehensively with recent revolutions in river channel management. It explores the multi-disciplinary nature of river channel management in relation to modern management techniques that bear the background of the entire drainage basin in mind, use channel restoration where appropriate, and are designed to be sustainable. River Channel Management is divided into five sections: A*The Introduction outlines the need for river channel management . A*Retrospective Review offers an overview of twentieth century engineering methods and the ways that river channel systems operate. A*Realisation explains how greater understanding of river channel adjustments, channel hazards and river basin planning created a context for twenty-first century management. A*Requirements for Management explains and examines environmental assessment, restoration-based approaches, and methods that work towards 'design with nature' A*Final Revision speculates about prospects for twenty-first century river channel management. River Channel Management is written for higher-level undergraduates and for postgraduates in geography, ecology, engineering, planning, geology and environmental science, for professionals involved in river channel management, and for staff in environmental agencies.

The Land of Little Rain (1903) is a collection of essays and short stories by Mary Hunter Austin. Originally published with photographs taken by acclaimed American photographer Ansel Adams, The Land of Little Rain is a classic work of nature writing. Austin is now recognized as an early feminist and conservationist who understood the intricacy and fragility of ecosystems as well as the extent to which human civilization threatens their continued existence. In a series of stories and essays on the animals, landscapes, and peoples that make up the American Southwest, Mary Hunter Austin proves that the foremost responsibility of a writer is to look. With an attentive and deeply respectful eye, Austin describes the heat and violence of desert weather, the tracks made by disparate animal species as they travel in search of water, and the scavengers that depend on death for life. Within this collection are brief stories about the people and communities scattered throughout the harsh Mojave desert: a miner who longs for wealth and civilization but returns to the wild and unpredictable life of speculation; a Shoshone medicine man captured by the Paiute tribe who misses his people and home; a town where people live simply, depending on nothing but the land and its bounty for their daily existence and abundant happiness. The Land of Little Rain is both informative and moving, an intricate tapestry that celebrates the diversity of life while making an incontrovertible case for its continued preservation. Mary Hunter Austin was a gifted writer and an environmentalist ahead of her time. In a world faced with the catastrophic effects of a global climate crisis, we need writers such as Austin for not only the wisdom and knowledge they offer, but the monumental change their words can inspire. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Mary Hunter Austin's The Land of Little Rain is a classic of American literature and nature writing reimagined for modern readers.

“Unlike the standard nature guides that explain how to recognize common animals, Nature stresses the web of interrelationships that link the regional flora and fauna. This affectionate examination of some of North America’s most spectacular surviving old-growth forests will delight backpackers and armchair naturalists.� —Los Angeles Times Book Review Everything you ever wanted to know about the flora and fauna of Southeast Alaska is contained in the third edition of this lively field guide to the natural world, from bears to banana slugs, mountains to murrelets. The authors, who are both Alaskan residents and biologists, combine scientific research with personal experiences to make a definitive field guide for residents of or visitors to Southeast Alaska. The unique features of the book include: In-depth information about how wildlife coexists with the environment Detailed discussions of mammals, birds, fish, invertebrates, fungi, and plants Detailed map of wilderness areas in Southeast Alaska More than 200 black-and-white illustrations A bibliography, list of common and scientific names, and an index New to this edition: More than 100 new illustrations, many never before published, as well as new maps and photos Major expansion of sections on geology, old-growth forests, marine mammals, and amphibians Fifty-two new sidebars—written in the first person to give the text a more personal touch­—that describe recent findings or experiences. Sweeping updates and elaborations to chapter narratives—often thanks to technology unknown in 1992. In-depth guide to Southeast Alaska’s flora and fauna; more than an identification manual, Nature explores how the species and habitats encountered in the woods and waters of Southeast Alaska fit into the bigger picture.

This book presents a new degree theory for maps which commute with a group of symmetries. This degree is no longer a single integer but an element of the group of equivariant homotopy classes of maps between two spheres and depends on the orbit types of the spaces. The authors develop completely the theory and applications of this degree in a self-contained presentation starting with only elementary facts. The first chapter explains the basic tools of representation theory, homotopy theory and differential equations needed in the text. Then the degree is defined and its main abstract properties are derived. The next part is devoted to the study of equivariant homotopy groups of spheres and to the classification of equivariant maps in the case of abelian actions. These groups are explicitely computed and the effects of symmetry breaking, products and composition are thorougly studied. The last part deals with computations of the equivariant index of an isolated orbit and of an isolated loop of stationary points. Here differential equations in a variety of situations are considered: symmetry breaking, forcing, period doubling, twisted orbits, first integrals, gradients etc. Periodic solutions of Hamiltonian systems, in particular spring-pendulum systems, are studied as well as Hopf bifurcation for all these situations.

This book is a sociological account of the historical trajectory of feed-in tariffs (FITs) as an instrument for the promotion of renewable energy in Europe. Chapters analyse the emergence and transformations of feed-in tariffs as part of the policy arsenal developed to encourage the creation of markets for RES-E in Europe. The authors explore evolving conceptions of renewable energy policy at the intersection between environmental objectives, technological change and the ambition to liberalise the internal electricity market. They draw conclusions on the relationships between markets and policy-making as it is instituted in the European Union, and on the interplay between the implementation of a European vision on energy and national politics. Distinctive in both its approach and its methods the books aim is not to discuss the design of feed-in tariffs and their evolution, nor is it to assess their efficiency or fairness. Instead, the authors seek to understand what makes feed-in tariffs what they are, and how this has changed over time.