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Books > Earth & environment > The environment > Applied ecology > General
This survey of one the longest insect conservation campaigns in Australia deals with recovery of one of the most iconic endemic butterflies, the Richmond birdwing, threatened by clearance and fragmentation of subtropical rainforest in eastern Australia and the spread of an alien larval food-plant. Its conservation has involved many aspects of community involvement, developed over more than 20 years, and focused on habitat restoration and weed eradication, in conjunction with conservation of remaining forest fragments. The work has involved the entire historical range of the butterfly, addressed threats and emphasised landscape connectivity, and has enhanced recovery through extensive plantings of native food plants. Interest has been maintained through extensive publicity, community education and media activity, and the programme has provided many lessons for advancing insect conservation practice in the region. "
In an effort to implement conservation measures farmers have used a variety of production methods, including the use of reduced or zero tillage and cover crops. One benefit of these production methods has been early season weed control. The literature suggests that a variety of mechanisms may be involved, among them the allelopathic effects of phenolic acids. This retrospective analysis addresses the following: How likely are phenolic acid concentrations and environmental conditions in wheat no-till cropping systems for the inhibition of annual broadleaf weed emergence? and Do phenolic acids have a dominant role or are they just one component of a larger promoter/modifier/inhibitor complex? The book covers allelopathic plant-plant interactions, laboratory and field experiments, and future research. It uses a journal format, provides justifications for procedures used, if-then hypotheses, and cons and pros so that readers can reach their own conclusions.
New Zealand and Australia are broadly considered to be countries in which sustainability and responsibility discourses are being pursued by governments and business alike, and in which incentives and initiatives are helping confront and overcome sustainability-related challenges. This book takes a closer look behind and beyond the marketing mantras of both Australia's and New Zealand's "clean and green" campaigns and, on the basis of representative examples and cases, critically evaluates the status quo. The book assesses the effectiveness of sustainability and responsibility models with a focus on the South Pacific and argues that the ways in which issues have been dealt with in this more closely defined geographical region are most likely a good indicator of how similar issues are (or soon will be) dealt with around the globe. As such, the book offers a rich source of cases on sustainability and responsibility in the business arena, a critical review, and an inspirational affirmation of responsible business practice.
Landscape ecology and conservation biology are rapidly developing disciplines, and a current synthesis of principles and applications in these two fields is needed under one cover. Many managers are not applying principles of landscape ecology in efforts to conserve plants and animals and yet the loss of biological diversity could be reduced if larger-scale processes and patterns were consistently considered in management and conservation decisions. This book brings together contributions from leaders in landscape ecology and addresses the issue of how what we know about landscape ecology can help us understand, manage and maintain biodiversity. The book is divided into six parts: the first part introduces the book and discusses what landscape ecology is and why it is important to conservation biology. The second deals with patches, the third part discusses corridors and biota movement, the fourth part discusses landscape change and how these affect biodiversity. The fifth part covers landscape planning. The final part presents a synthesis and draws conclusions about the utility of the landscape approach to conservation.
Inchworms, tiger moths, underwings, owlet moths, silkworms,sphinx moths, grass moths, and butterflies. Collectively, these and many others are the Lepidoptera, one of the most diverse groups of animals on the planet. Lepidoptera can be found in the highest tropical canopies,the driest deserts, and at the leading edge of science. The adults include some of the most beautiful insects that have inspired artists and have sailed through the dreams of human cultures for millennia. The immature stages ("caterpillars"), like the underwing depicted on the cover, link together vital processes in diverse terrestrial ecosystems that are only barely documented let alone understood. The people that study these animals are lepidopterists, and the goal of this book is to introduce them with their own words. In twenty chapters, lepidopterists tell their stories, and these tales mirror the diversity of nature in their range and depth. You will find individuals that wrestle with the challenges of scientific careers, stories of far flung travel sand close calls, and historical perspectives on recent decades of scientific break throughs.
A vast amount has been written on climate change and what should be our response. Rise and Fall of the Carbon Civilisation suggests that most of this literature takes a far too optimistic position regarding the potential for conventional mitigation solutions to achieve the deep cuts in greenhouse gases necessary in the limited time frame we have available. In addition, global environmental problems, as exemplified by climate change, and global resource problems - such as fossil fuel depletion or fresh water scarcity - have largely been seen as separate issues. Further, proposals for solution of these problems often focus at the national level, when the problems are global. The authors argue that the various challenges the planet faces are both serious and interconnected. Rise and Fall of the Carbon Civilisation takes a global perspective in its treatment of various solutions: * renewable energy; * nuclear energy; * energy efficiency; * carbon sequestration; and * geo-engineering. It also addresses the possibility that realistic solutions cannot be achieved until the fundamentally ethical question of global equity - both across nations today and also inter-generational - is fully addressed. Such an approach will also involve reorienting the global economy away from an emphasis on growth and toward the direct satisfaction of basic human needs for all the Earth's people. Rise and Fall of the Carbon Civilisation is aimed at the many members of the public with an awareness of climate change, but who wish to find out more about how we need to respond to the challenge. It will also be of interest to technical professionals, as well as postgraduate students and researchers, from the environmental and engineering science sectors.
Shortlisted for the Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award, and one of The Observer's 'Thirty books to help us understand the world'. Are we really to blame for the climate crisis? Over 70 per cent of global emissions come from the same 100 organisations, but fossil-fuel companies have taken no responsibility themselves. Instead, they have waged a 30-year campaign to blame individuals. The result has been disastrous for our planet. In The New Climate War, renowned scientist Michael E. Mann argues that all is not lost. He draws the battle lines between the people and the polluters - fossil-fuel companies, right-wing plutocrats, and petro-states - and outlines a plan for forcing our governments and corporations to wake up and make real change.
The book explores how Darwins legendary and mythologized visit to the Galapagos affected the socioecosystems of the Islands, as well as the cultural and intellectual traditions of Ecuador and Latin America. It highlights in what way the connection between Darwin and the Galapagos has had real, enduring and paradoxical effects in the Archipelago. This Twenty Century construct of the Galapagos as the cradle of Darwin's theory and insights triggered not only the definition of the Galapagos as a living natural laboratory but also the production of a series of conservation practices and the reshaping of the Galapagos as a tourism destination with an increasingly important flow of tourists that potentially threaten its fragile ecosystems. The book argues that the idea of a Darwinian living laboratory has been limited by the success of the very same constructs that promote its conservation. It suggests critical interpretations of this paradox by questioning many of the dichotomies that have been created to understand nature and its conservation. We also explore some possible ways in which Darwin's ideas can be used to better understand the social and natural threats facing the Islands and to develop sustainable and successful management practices.
This book explores the various ways in which different communities and peoples in Oceania respond to and engage with recent environmental challenges and concurrent socio-political reconfigurations. Based on empirical research, the book discusses topics such as belonging, emotional attachment to land, and new forms of environmental knowledge. The theoretical framework of the book is inspired by current debates among diverse conceptualisations of the environment and thus, of various ways of knowing, making sense of, and interacting with worlds. With this focus in mind, the book provides new insights into recent socio-cultural and environmental dynamics in the Pacific.
This book tackles the question of how tourism development and suitable policies can be used to promote sustainable development in Low-Density Territories (LDTs). The respective chapters, written by prominent experts, identify the problems associated with LDTs; highlight the comparative advantages of these territories with regard to tourism; propose methodologies for assessing the impact of tourism; and present case studies on the application of sustainable policies in tourism. Given its scope, it will be especially interesting for academics and researchers investigating LDTs and sustainable tourism, and for policymakers interested in developing these territories. LDTs represent an economic challenge, especially because most of them are home to an increasingly ageing population unable to pursue economic development. In these territories, tourism is emerging as an excellent opportunity to promote innovative dynamics, to lure investment, and to attract new people. However, it is important to promote sustainable tourism, which preserves the environment and communities' quality of life. The Chapter "Tourism, immigrants and lifestyle entrepreneurship: The (In)coming of people as a key factor for sustainability of low-density territories - A case study in Portugal" is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.
An environmental historian delves into the history, science, and philosophy of a paradoxical pursuit: the century-old quest to design natural places and create wild species. Environmental restoration is a global pursuit and a major political concern. Governments, nonprofits, private corporations, and other institutions spend billions of dollars each year to remove invasive species, build wetlands, and reintroduce species driven from their habitats. But restoration has not always been so intensively practiced. It began as the pastime of a few wildflower enthusiasts and the first practitioners of the new scientific discipline of ecology. Restoration has been a touchstone of US environmentalism since the beginning of the twentieth century. Diverging from popular ideas about preservation, which romanticized nature as an Eden to be left untouched by human hands, and conservation, the managed use of natural resources, restoration emerged as a "third way." Restorationists grappled with the deepest puzzles of human care for life on earth: How to intervene in nature for nature's own sake? What are the natural baselines that humans should aim to restore? Is it possible to design nature without destroying wildness? Laura J. Martin shows how, over time, amateur and professional ecologists, interest groups, and government agencies coalesced around a mode of environmental management that sought to respect the world-making, and even the decision-making, of other species. At the same time, restoration science reshaped material environments in ways that powerfully influenced what we understand the wild to be. In Wild by Design, restoration's past provides vital knowledge for climate change policy. But Martin also offers something more-a meditation on what it means to be wild and a call for ecological restoration that is socially just.
This book tells the story of one nation's sustained efforts to steer its economy toward low carbon technologies and to define national and global pathways for mitigating climate change. Drawing on a long career in Germany's energy sector, and on subsequent academic research, the book reveals the weaknesses of and critical trade-offs in Germany's bold energy transition plan the Energiewende and explores their causes. Its goal is to provide insights to help policymakers and energy managers keep some of the problems that have plagued the Energiewende at bay, and to instead explore avenues that are more likely to succeed. While such insights cannot solve the problem of socio-technical change overnight, they do reveal alternative transition pathways that keep climate goals clearly in sight, even if they are pursued with a bit less exuberance and a bit more humility. The book is addressed to academic, professional, and political readers alike.
This book provides a concise and authoritative guide to corporate social responsibility (CSR) and related paradigms, including environmental responsibility, corporate sustainability and responsibility, creating shared value, strategic CSR, stakeholder engagement, corporate citizenship, business ethics and corporate governance, among others. It is primarily intended for advanced undergraduate and / or graduate students. Moreover, it is highly relevant for future entrepreneurs, small business owners, non-profit organisations and charitable foundations, as it addresses the core aspects of contemporary strategies, public policies and practices. It also features case studies on international policies and principles, exploring corporate businesses' environmental, social and governance reporting. "Mark Camilleri's new book provides an excellent overview of the eclectic academic literature in this area, and presents a lucid description of how savvy companies can embed themselves in circular systems that reduce system-wide externalities, increase economic value, and build reputation. A valuable contribution." Charles J. Fombrun, Founder of Reputation Institute and a former Professor of Management at New York University and The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, USA "I am pleased to recommend Dr. Camilleri's latest book, Corporate Sustainability, Social Responsibility, and Environmental Management. The book is a rich source of thought for everyone who wants to get deeper insights into this important topic. The accompanying five detailed case studies on a wide array of corporate sustainable and responsible initiatives are helpful in demonstrating how theoretical frameworks have been implemented into practical initiatives. This book is a critical companion for academics, students, and practitioners." Adam Lindgreen, Professor and Head of Department of Marketing, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark "This book is an essential resource for students, practitioners, and scholars. Dr. Mark Camilleri skillfully delivers a robust summary of research on the business and society relationship and insightfully points to new understandings of and opportunities for responsible business conduct. I highly recommend Corporate Sustainability, Social Responsibility, and Environmental Management: An Introduction to Theory and Practice with Case Studies." Diane L. Swanson, Professor and Chair of Distinction in Business Administration and Ethics Education at Kansas State University, KS, USA "Mark's latest book is lucid, insightful, and highly useful in the classroom. I strongly recommend it." Donald Siegel, Dean of the School of Business and Professor of Management at the University at Albany, State University of New York, NY, USA "The theory and practice of corporate sustainability, social responsibility and environmental management is complex and dynamic. This book will help scholars to navigate through the maze. Dr Camilleri builds on the foundations of leading academics, and shows how the subject continues to evolve. The book also acknowledges the importance of CSR 2.0 - or transformative corporate sustainability and responsibility - as a necessary vision of the future." Wayne Visser, Senior Associate at Cambridge University, UK. He is the author of CSR 2.0: Transforming Corporate Sustainability & Responsibility and Sustainable Frontiers: Unlocking Change Through Business, Leadership and Innovation "Corporate Sustainability, Social Responsibility and Environmental Management: An Introduction to Theory and Practice with Case Studies" provides a useful theoretical and practical overview of CSR and the importance of practicing corporate sustainability." Geoffrey P. Lantos, Professor of Business Administration, Stonehill College. Easton, Massachusetts, USA "This book offers a truly comprehensive guide to current concepts and debates in the area of corporate responsibility and sustainability. It gives helpful guidance to all those committed to mainstreaming responsible business practices in an academically reflected, yet practically relevant, way." Andreas Rasche, Professor of Business in Society, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark "A very useful resource with helpful insights and supported by an enriching set of case studies." Albert Caruana, Professor of Marketing at the University of Malta, Malta and at the University of Bologna, Italy "A good overview of the latest thinking about Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Management based on a sound literature review as well as useful case studies. Another step forward in establishing a new business paradigm." Rene Schmidpeter, Professor of International Business Ethics and CSR at Cologne Business School (CBS), Germany "Dr. Camilleri's book is a testimony to the continuous need around the inquiry and advocacy of the kind of responsibility that firms have towards societal tenets. Understanding how CSR can become a modern manifestation of deep engagement into socio-economic undercurrents of our firms, is the book's leading contribution to an important debate, that is more relevant today than ever before." Mark Esposito, Professor of Business and Economics at Harvard University, MA, USA "Mark's book is a great addition to the literature on CSR and EM; it will fill one of the gaps that have continued to exist in business and management schools, since there are insufficient cases for teaching and learning in CSR and Environmental Management in Business Schools around the globe." Samuel O. Idowu, Senior Lecturer in Accounting at London Metropolitan University, UK; Professor of CSR at Nanjing University of Finance and Economics, China and a Deputy CEO, Global Corporate Governance Institute, USA "Corporate Social Responsibility has grown from 'nice to have' for big companies to a necessity for all companies. Dr Mark Camilleri sketches with this excellent book the current debate in CSR and CSR communication and with his cases adds valuable insights in the ongoing development and institutionalization of CSR in nowadays business." Wim J.L. Elving, Professor at the University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
Following a comprehensive overview by the editors, this volume's expert contributors provide detailed discussion of important legal, ecological and social issues associated with coastal resource management, as well as the most significant challenges confronting land use planners and resource managers in coastal communities. Using an interdisciplinary approach to perplexing questions surrounding the issue of development versus protection, the volume presents a broad approach to coastal issues involving private rights and public trust.Part I: The Law and Coastal Environments provides background information on the more recent federal and state lawsuits, statutes and regulations that impact coastal environments. In Part II: Ecological Consequences for Coastal Development, scientists discuss threats posed by elevated nitrogen levels and heavy metal contamination in coastal waters, followed by descriptions of the impact of development on habitats essential to estuarine-dependent fish and migratory shorebirds. In Part III: Private Use, Public Trust and Coastal Protection the authors explore ways to balance private use of the coast with public rights of access and preservation. They discuss the concept of stewardship by both public and private landowners, factors affecting environmental values in coastal communities, and facilitation of enlightened public policies for growth management and resource protection. Appropriate for courses pertaining to coastal ecology, coastal management or land-use planning, this book will also appeal to a diverse audience of economists, concerned citizens, environmental lawyers and policymakers.
Weather derivatives are financial instruments that can be used by organizations or individuals as part of a risk management strategy to minimize risk associated with adverse or unexpected weather conditions. Just as traditional contingent claims, a weather derivative has an underlying measure, such as: rainfall, wind, snow or temperature. Nearly $1 trillion of the U.S. economy is directly exposed to weather-related risk. More precisely, almost 30% of the U.S. economy and 70% of U.S. companies are affected by weather. The purpose of this monograph is to conduct an in-depth analysis of financial products that are traded in the weather market. Presenting a pricing and modeling approach for weather derivatives written on various underlying weather variables will help students, researchers, and industry professionals accurately price weather derivatives, and will provide strategies for effectively hedging against weather-related risk. This book will link the mathematical aspects of the modeling procedure of weather variables to the financial markets and the pricing of weather derivatives. Very little has been published in the area of weather risk, and this volume will appeal to graduate-level students and researchers studying financial mathematics, risk management, or energy finance, in addition to investors and professionals within the financial services industry. "
This book highlights the concept of environmental water footprint in the energy (bioenergy & hydropower) sector and the building/construction sector, focusing on a case study in Iran. It argues and demonstrates that water conservation is one of the most essential elements every industry has to take into account in its sustainability strategy.
Failure by the international community to make substantive progress in reducing CO2 emissions, coupled with recent evidence of accelerating climate change, has brought increasing urgency to the search for additional remediation approaches. This book presents a selection of state-of-the-art geoengineering methods for deliberately reducing the effects of anthropogenic climate change, either by actively removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere or by decreasing the amount of sunlight absorbed at the Earth's surface. These methods contrast with more conventional mitigation approaches which focus on reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide. Geoengineering technologies could become a key tool to be used in conjunction with emissions reduction to limit the magnitude of climate change. Featuring authoritative, peer-reviewed entries from the Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology, this book presents a wide range of climate change remediation technologies.
This book highlights a number of social sustainability issues at different stages of the supply chain, and demonstrates how these issues can be addressed by adopting social sustainability practices in the manufacturing supply chain. In the wake of emerging social issues in developing countries, research on social sustainability has gained importance for academics and practitioners alike. The three distinguishable social sustainability dimensions in manufacturing that emerge as a result of this research provide insights for supply chain managers and practitioners who might otherwise be unaware of what constitutes social sustainability. A better understanding allows supply chain managers to address these issues more appropriately to increase their supply chain competitiveness in the market. The book presents a social sustainability scale that can be used by practitioners to measure supply chain social sustainability to benchmark their supply chains globally. The research also helps academicians to gain an understanding of the social issues related to the manufacturing supply chain, while the social measures developed serve as reference material for policy-makers and sustainability experts in emerging economies.
This book provides a solid scientific basis for researchers, practitioners and students interested in the application of genetic principles to tropical forest ecology and management. It presents a concise overview of genetic variation, evolutionary processes and the human impact on forest genetic resources in the tropics. In addition, modern tools to assess genetic diversity patterns and the dynamics of genetic structures are introduced to the non-specialist reader.
"Deniers of climate change have benefited from political strategies developed by conservative think tanks and public relations experts paid handsomely by the energy industry. With this book, environmental activists can benefit from some scholarly attention turned to their efforts. This book exhibits the best that public scholarship has to offer. Its authors utilize sophisticated rhetorical theory and criticism to uncover the inventional constraints and possibilities for participants at various sites of the Step-It-Up day of climate activism. What makes this book especially valuable is that it is not only directed to fellow communication scholars, but is written in a clear and accessible style to bring the insights of an academic field to a broader public of activists committed to building an environmental social movement." - Prof. Leah Ceccarelli, University of Washington "This is an unusually interesting volume grounded in a sustained and coordinated analysis of the Step It Up campaign. Generating a multifaceted and shared archive for analyzing the SIU campaign on global warming, the volume's multiple authors critically examine intersecting dimensions of the SIU campaign-its persuasive strategies, organizational dynamics, and political practices for everyday citizens-with an eye on implications for enhancing the larger environmental movement. Readers with a practical and theoretical interest in social and political movements will find this book engaging and leavened with heuristic value." - Professor Robert L. Ivie, Indiana University, Bloomington
Dr. Michael Charles Tobias and Jane Gray Morrison are world-renowned ecological philosophers and activists, interdisciplinary social and environmental scientists and broad-ranging, deeply committed humanists. This collection of fifty essays and interviews comprises an invigorating, outspoken, provocative and eloquent overview of the ecological humanities in one highly accessible volume. The components of this collection were published in the authors' "Green Conversations" blog series, and pieces in the Eco News Network from 2011 to 2013 and feature luminaries from Jane Goodall to Ted Turner to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution to the former head of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. Stunning color photographs captured by the authors and contributors make Why Life Matters: Fifty Ecosystems of the Heart and Mind a feast for the eyes as well as the mind and soul. Ethics, science, technology, ecological literacy, grass-roots renaissance thinkers, conservation innovation from the U.S. to the U.K.; from India to Ecuador; from Bhutan to Haiti; from across Africa, the Neo-Tropics, Central Asia and Japan, to Rio, Shanghai and Manhattan - this humanistic ode to the future of life on earth is a relevant and resonating read. Michael Tobias and Jane Gray Morrison, partners who between them have authored some 50 books and written, directed and produced some 170 films, a prolific body of work that has been read, translated and/or broadcast around the world, have been married for more than a quarter-of-a-century. Their field research across the disciplines of comparative literature, anthropology, the history of science and philosophy, ecology and ethics, in over 80 countries, has served as a telling example of what two people - deeply in love with one another - can accomplish in spreading that same unconditional love to others - of all species.
Filling a gap in the current literature, this book addresses the social approach to the design and use of innovative business models in the digital economy. It focuses on three areas that are of increasing importance to businesses and industry today: social issues and sustainability; digitization; and new economic business models, specifically the sharing and circular economies. The authors aim to solve current scientific concerns around the conceptualization and operationalization of social business models, addressing management intentions and the impact of these models on society. Based on observation of social phenomena and the authors' research and practical experience, the book highlights best practices for designing and assessing social business models.
This book mainly focuses on ecological approaches for preventing and controlling non-point source (NPS) pollution on the basis of forestry measures. In addition to the effects of ecological control, it introduces readers to the characteristics of NPS pollution in Taihu Lake watershed, water eutrophication evaluation methods, and potential countermeasures. Given the crucial role of surface runoff and soil erosion in producing water pollution, the book presents forestry measures to combat them, such as the creation of public welfare forests, urban forestry, planting techniques for hedgerows on slope land, the establishment of shelter belts, nitrogen and phosphorus absorption by hydrophytes, and sustainable management for wetlands. Moreover, the results are supplemented by a wealth of numerical calculations, tables, figures and photographs. The book offers a valuable guide for researchers, educators and professionals working in the areas of water environment, water security and ecological construction. Prof. Jianfeng Zhang works at the Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Fuyang, China.
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