Aspects of Brazilian Floristic Diversity: From Botany to Traditional Communities offers a unique approach in floristic diversity of the Neotropical region, specifically encompassing the Brazilian flora. This volume combines both theoretical and applied aspects of scientific making knowledge in different perspectives of Botanical Science. In this volume, botanical specialists discuss the many different approaches of taxonomic, reproductive, ecological and ethnobotanical aspects of Brazilian floristic diversity, thereby enlightening the global interest in Neotropical species, in particular those from the Brazilian territory. The book addresses relevant questions from many points of view, including anatomy, reproduction, palinology, conservation and ethnobotany, creating an in-depth perception of the flora in its complexity constitution. The book provides a comprehensive outlook on Botany Sciences, considering the history and traditional knowledge of plants, and relating it to contemporary problems and concerns of flora conservation today. With this current perspective, this book reaches a vast audience from the research lines of Botany, and encompasses a broader and interdisciplinary understanding of Aspects of Brazilian Floristic Diversity.

Environmental concerns are on the corporate agenda, and companies are searching for effective managerial strategies. Multinational corporations command huge financial resources and technical skills, and their actions toward the environment can have a profound impact. Drawing detailed examples from major multinational companies, this book provides a wealth of practical insight on how companies approach the difficult task of responding to an increasing variety of environmental challenges. The authors identify several specific programs being developed and implemented by corporations to establish accountability for environment, health and safety and to integrate environmental concerns throughout the corporate decision making process.

The material in this work is drawn from extensive interviews conducted in U.S.-based companies, and examinations of production facilities in developed and developing countries. In addition, results of a survey on corporate environment, health and safety practices are woven into the analysis. Although they note that there are inadequacies in some corporate responses to environmental challenges, the authors contend that improved practice will result from actions on the part of government and universities, as well as companies themselves. This book will help decision makers review their environmental programs and develop sound strategies to overcome the corporate environmental anxiety that, We know we're out of compliance somewhere in the world all of the time.

This book takes readers on a journey through the history of water in the Coahuila desert. It starts by describing the beauty and mysteries of the landscape, and then explores the rock art of the original desert cultures in Coahuila, offering readers a glimpse of the sacred nature of water in the desert, as well as the rituals surrounding it. Moving on to the colonial times and the post- independence development of the region, it discusses early water management, and explores how water is managed in modern times, as well as the legal complications of the law, and how these faulty laws, designed for less arid regions, have affected a highly diverse wetland, the Cuatro Cienegas oasis. The book then examines the biological consequences of the water loss for the aquatic plants and animals in Churince - a now extinct system within Cuatro Cienegas. Further, it addresses how even bacteria can become extinct in this hyper-diverse microbial oasis. Lastly, after this despair and sense of loss, the book provides hope, offering suggestions for how we can transform the future, from a social and educational point of view as well as through good science and changes in policy.

This book, the result of the author's experience in psychology and forestry studies, studies the relation between these two seemingly different disciplines. The author indicates how human actions and programs affect a range of threatened or endangered situations ranging from forests and species of animals to our own traditional values and cultural groups. Sustainers, the persons who advocate and support sustainability, possess or must come to possess certain characteristics that are shown to be renunciation, knowledge, attitude, controllability, and patterning. This book seeks to discover and advocates how and why those attributes must be strengthened if we are to sustain our environment and ourselves.

This book relates one of the most representative species of Patagonian wildlife, the guanaco, to human societies across time, and explores how that relationship has changed over time due to different land uses and productive interests. The book provides information to understand these interactions, and contextualizes the current situation of this species. In some cases, it proposes possible solutions to conflicts, and also shows ongoing activities aimed at sustainable use and conservation. The audience for this book includes researchers, graduate students, policy makers and conservation and rural development professionals. In addition, it will serve as a tool for application authorities and field technicians on the use and conservation of wildlife, to define management actions for this species.

Deciding what user impacts are natural or unnatural has inspired much debate. Biophysically, moose cause similar kinds of soil and vegetation impacts as hikers. Yet moose are the sign of nature while hikers are the sign of damage. The field of outdoor recreation is beset with paradoxes, and this book presents a unique, alternative framework to address these dilemmas. Examining outdoor recreation through the lens of ecological theory, Ryan draws from theorists such as Foucault, Derrida and Latour. The book explores minimum impact strategies designed to protect and enhance ecological integrity, but that also require a disturbing amount of policing of users, which runs counter to the freedom users seek. Recent ecological theory suggests that outdoor recreation's view of nature as balanced when impacts are removed is outdated and incorrect. What is needed, and indeed Ryan presents, is a paradoxical and ecological view of humans as neither natural nor unnatural, a view that embraces some traces in nature.

Salinity is one of the acute problems causing enormous yield loss in many regions of the world. This phenomenon is particularly pronounced in arid and semiarid regions. Halophytes can remove salt from various types of problematic soils due to their unique morphological, physiological and anatomical adaptations to these environments. Halophytes are also used for the treatment of certain diseases but scientific documentation in terms of current phytotherapic applications is deficient in this unique group of plants. Different ethnic groups around the world use medicinal halophytes according to their own beliefs and ancestor’s experiences. However, their knowledge about the use of salt tolerant medicinal plants is usually confined to their own community. There is thus a knowledge gap on halophytes which should be bridged and preserved. This book provides a comprehensive account on the distribution of halophytes, their ethnobotanical and medicinal aspects, economic importance, and chemical constituents along with scientific description. The book therefore serves as a valuable resource for professionals and researchers working in the fields of plant stress biology and ethnobotanical aspects.

This book discusses soil and recycling management in the Anthropocene era. Nitrogen shortage is one of nature's most important productivity regulators, but since the advent of technical nitrogen fixation (TNF), biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) input has nearly doubled, particularly in grass and arable lands covering over 13 million km2 of the Earth's surface. This book explores how monoculture grass, arable lands and forests are often over fertilized with TNF, animal slurries, sewage sludge, or municipally produced composts, and as a result, flora and fauna that have adapted to a nitrogen shortage in the soil will have to adjust to a surplus; those that are unable to adapt will disappear.

This book presents a comprehensive overview and analysis of mangrove ecological processes, structure, and function at the local, biogeographic, and global scales and how these properties interact to provide key ecosystem services to society. The analysis is based on an international collaborative effort that focuses on regions and countries holding the largest mangrove resources and encompasses the major biogeographic and socio-economic settings of mangrove distribution. Given the economic and ecological importance of mangrove wetlands at the global scale, the chapters aim to integrate ecological and socio-economic perspectives on mangrove function and management using a system-level hierarchical analysis framework. The book explores the nexus between mangrove ecology and the capacity for ecosystem services, with an emphasis on thresholds, multiple stressors, and local conditions that determine this capacity. The interdisciplinary approach and illustrative study cases included in the book will provide valuable resources in data, information, and knowledge about the current status of one of the most productive coastal ecosystem in the world.

This book explains why international negotiations have not produced a sustainable solution to tropical rainforest degradation. Using an innovative, critical approach to international regimes, the author analyzes the structure and operation of the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO). He shows how the timber industry and producing- and consuming-country governments created a blocking alliance that favored developmentalist interests and ideas. The ITTO bolstered this alliance by permitting environmentalists merely to voice, but not negotiate, their concerns.

The countries of the Black Sea region are beset by a great number of problems: there are many large cities along the coast; intensive agriculture is practised in the region; great rivers such as the Danube and the Dnieper carry pollution from a large part of Europe; and the lowlands are threatened by flooding from the rivers, wind-induced surges, and future sea-level rise due to global warming. Any integrated, sustainable development of the region will require an interdisciplinary approach, which the present book reflects. Contributions range from the monitoring of biological diversity through the influence of tourism on marine and coastal ecosystems to environmental economics. The problem also has an international dimension: only by interdisciplinary, international co-operation can the environment of the Black Sea region be conserved for future generations.

The last fifteen years have been a period of dramatic change, both in the world at large and within the fields of ecology and conservation. The end of the Cold War, the dot-com boom and bust, the globalizing economy, and the attacks of September 11, among other events and trends, have reshaped our worldview and the political environment in which we find ourselves. At the same time, emerging knowledge, needs, and opportunities have led to a rapid evolution in our understanding of the scientific foundations and social context of conservation.
Correction Lines is a new collection of essays from one of our most thoughtful and eloquent writers on conservation, putting these recent changes into perspective and exploring the questions they raise about the past, present, and future of the conservation movement. The essays explore interrelated themes: the relationship between biological and social dimensions; the historic tension between utilitarian and preservationist approaches; the integration of varied cultural perspectives; the enduring legacy of Aldo Leopold; the contrasts and continuities between conservation and environmentalism; the importance of political reform; and the need to "retool" conservation to address twentyfirst-century realities.
Collectively the essays assert that we have reached a critical juncture in conservation-a "correction line" of sorts. Correction Lines argues that we need a more coherent and comprehensive account of the past if we are to understand our present circumstances and move forward under unprecedented conditions.
Meine brings together a deep sense of history with powerful language and compelling imagery, yielding new insights into the origins anddevelopment of contemporary conservation. Correction Lines will help us think more clearly about the forces that have changed, and are changing, conservation, and inspire us to address current realities and future needs.

Conservation Science and Advocacy for a Planet in Peril: Speaking Truth to Power helps equip scientists working on environmental and sustainability challenges with new tactics for success. Global efforts and cooperation by member states of environmental conventions have steadily increased but lack efficient and scalable mechanisms of translating conservation science to policy. The gap between science and policy is growing and very little time remains before the climate change and biodiversity lossess trigger widespread disruptions of the planet's life support systems. This book covers these important topics, providing a must read for environmental and conservation scientists, climate change activists, students, social scientists, economic professionals, sustainable businesses and policymakers.

The annual cost of medical care in the U niled States is rapidly approaching a trillion dollars. Without doubt, much of the rise in costs is due to our health industry's concentration on high technology remediation and risk avoidance measures. From recent public discussions it is becoming in creasingly evident that to contain the costs and at the same time extend the benefits of health care without national bankruptcy will necessitate much greater attention to preventative medicine. The total cost of waste disposal by our health industry is well over a billion dollars. It is rising rapidly as we increasingly rely on high technol ogy remediation measures. Here, too, in the opinion of the authors of this work, it would be prudent to give much greater attention to preventative approaches. Incineration technology has largely been developed for disposing mu nicipal solid waste (MSW) and hazardous waste (HW). As a result of the multibillion dollar funding for the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), most experts believe that pollution control is the key to minimizing toxic emissions from incinerators. This view is now beginning to take hold in medical waste (MW) incineration as well. However, the authors contributing to this book have concluded that precombustion measures can be most effective in reducing the toxic products of medical waste incineration."

This book aims to cover the multitude of corporate approaches towards mainstreaming biodiversity conservation and ecological management in policies and action plans, and explores the roles of these efforts in achieving national and global targets for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The book addresses various aspects of corporate actions such as corporate environmental responsibility, green businesses, market-based approaches to biodiversity conservation, and biodiversity trade-offs, and includes concept papers, reviews, and case studies presenting qualitative and quantitative research. Additionally, the text compares and assesses examples of positive and negative impacts of corporate involvement in biodiversity conservation in developed and developing countries to identify innovative approaches, and the best practices and models that can be replicated in diverse environmental conditions. The studies included in the book will help those working in the field of corporate involvement in biodiversity conservation, and outline the strengths and weaknesses of the approaches which will be useful for designing new environmental management action plans in the face of climate change. The book will also be of great value to researchers, academicians, policy makers, civil society groups, policy think tanks, and conservation managers.

Now more than ever-in a time when Americans still do not believe that humans are the primary cause of Earth's climate change crisis, the burden on educators to inform, challenge, and motivate students about sustainability is greater than it ever has been. On college campuses, writing intensive courses, often located within First-Year or General Education curricula, are an ideal place to take up this charge because of the flexibility of their content and the high volume of students that they reach. In this volume, a varied group of composition instructors with wide ranges and types of experiences provides best practices for bringing issues surrounding climate change into the writing classroom. From literature-based composition and creative writing courses to design thinking workshops to seminars "against sustainability," the authors in this volume lay out a multitude of possibilities for blending writing and environmental concerns that fellow practitioners can easily adopt or modify for their own use.

This book explores the nature of marine conservation based on the case study of Hinase, a fishing village in Okayama, Japan. It focuses on the fishers' self-motivated eelgrass restoration activity which has been continued for more than 30 years. This activity in Hinase recently attracted international attention as a case under the name "Satoumi" and "Marine Protected Areas" in several governmental reports, but detailed information, such as the historical background and social structure of Hinase, has not yet been analyzed. This book, therefore, fulfills this gap by providing its ethnographic information. In addition, this book offers some points for critical thinking by concluding that marine conservation activities cannot always be evaluated or arranged under the standardized approach with limited time and space. This viewpoint reaffirms the importance of local initiative and highlights the value of qualitative research to seek the way forward for promising marine conservation. This book is suitable for an academic audience in the field of social sciences, such as applied anthropology, as well as ecologists, government officials, environmentalists, and citizens who are interested or engaged in environmental issues or natural resource management.

The history of urbanization was inseparably connected with the exploitation of the environment and the subjugation of rivers. Today we experience the effects of this expansion in the form of escalating water problems. The book outlines the processes of transformation of anthropogenic, natural and waterborne structures in urban environment, which were presented in three historical phases: the period of Respect, Conquest and Return. River-friendly cities require integrated water management in entire catchments from the source to the recipient. The key to the success of the Return strategy is the recovery of space for greenery and water, responsible spatial planning, circular economy and rainwater management as well as continuous raising of awareness of the whole society.

This is the first book to provide assessments of multidecadal changes in resources and environments of the Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs) of the North Atlantic. Using the case study method, researchers examine the forces driving the changes and actions underway aimed at turning the corner from declining trends in biomass yields, toward recovery of depleted species populations and improvements in ecosystem integrity.

Recently a distinguished group of 24 scientists argued eloquently that a new "Sustainability Science" was emerging that was focused on "meeting fundamental human needs while preserving the life support systems of planet Earth." The contributions contained in this volume are at the cutting edge of "Sustainability Science" and the results presented by the contributors are pertinent to one of the core questions: "How are long-term trends in environment and development, including consumption and population, reshaping nature-society interactions in ways relevant to sustainability?" ("Science" Vol. 292, 27 April 2001). The case studies demonstrate the utility of an ecosystem-based approach to the assessment and management of biomass yields and species sustainability.

Movements toward ecosystem-based management have emerged from the case studies on the initiation of recoveries of several depleted groundfish stocks of the US Northeast Shelf LME; the collapse of the Newfoundland-Labrador Shelf cod; the assessment of physical and biological changes on the Scotian Shelf, West Greenland Shelf, Iceland Shelf LME, and the Faroe Plateau, the North Sea, and the Barents Sea LMEs. Uncertainties, with regard to environmental and human-generated forcing, are addressed in assessment of the states of the Iberian Coastal and Biscay-Celtic LMEs, and in broad-scale studies of the influences at the base of the food chain of climatic variability on the productivity and biodiversity of plankton communities of the North Atlantic. The volume concludes with an insightful perspective on the approaches used and the results reported by the eminent marine scientist and former President of ICES, Professor Gotthilf Hempel.

This book gives an overview of various aspects of blue carbon dynamics from each country bordering the Indian Ocean. Given the importance of the topic of blue carbon, it can be assumed that in near future, more and more researchers from the Indian Ocean countries will pursue environmental research in this domain. This book is a ready reference to all those who are interested to have a holistic understanding about the ground scenario of blue carbon in the Indian Ocean. There are many research institutes situated in the periphery of the Indian Ocean that are devoted to nurturing the new avenues of marine carbon research. Researchers and scholars interested in this domain will find this book provides a good overview, wherein all the necessary information on the status and functioning of these blue carbon ecosystems are detailed in a concise way. The book is also helpful to postgraduate students of 'marine science' or those who have a specialization in 'marine biogeochemistry' or 'chemical oceanography' to develop a basic understanding about the very concept of 'blue carbon' from the perspective of the Indian Ocean.

This open access volume presents a comprehensive account of all aspects of biological invasions in South Africa, where research has been conducted over more than three decades, and where bold initiatives have been implemented in attempts to control invasions and to reduce their ecological, economic and social effects. It covers a broad range of themes, including history, policy development and implementation, the status of invasions of animals and plants in terrestrial, marine and freshwater environments, the development of a robust ecological theory around biological invasions, the effectiveness of management interventions, and scenarios for the future. The South African situation stands out because of the remarkable diversity of the country, and the wide range of problems encountered in its varied ecosystems, which has resulted in a disproportionate investment into both research and management. The South African experience holds many lessons for other parts of the world, and this book should be of immense value to researchers, students, managers, and policy-makers who deal with biological invasions and ecosystem management and conservation in most other regions.