This report describes the methods used and results obtained from a four-year project (2003-2007) to classify, describe, and develop a vegetation map database for Petrified Forest National Park (PEFO).

This is the first ever monumental and scientific documentation of the faunal wealth of the Indian Desert state of Rajasthan. This volume, the first of two, provides background on Rajasthan and covers species diversity and distribution of fauna. A scholarly contribution to the field of knowledge, it provides novel and vital information on the vertebrate faunal heritage of India's largest state. Broadly falling under the Indo-Malaya Ecozone, the three major biomes of Rajasthan include deserts and xeric shrublands, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests. The corresponding ecoregions to the above biomes are, respectively, the Thar Desert and northwestern thorn scrub forests, the Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests, and the Upper Gangtic Plains moist deciduous forests. Contrary to popular belief, the well-known Thar or Great Indian Desert occupies only a part of the state. Rajasthan is diagonally divided by the Aravalli mountain ranges into arid and semi-arid regions. The latter have a spectacular variety of highly diversified and unique yet fragile ecosystems comprising lush green fields, marshes, grasslands, rocky patches and hilly terrains, dense forests, the southern plateau, fresh water wetlands, and salt lakes. Apart from the floral richness, there is faunal abundance from fishes to mammals. In this volume, the various flagship and threatened species are described in the 24 chapters penned by top notch wildlife experts and academics. The world famous heronry, tiger reserves, wildlife sanctuaries and some threat-ridden biodiversity rich areas shall certainly draw the attention of readers from around the world.

Overstory and understory woody vegetation was surveyed during the summers of 1991-1994 in Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Wilderness battlefields, Virginia to examine forest composition and structure in relation to stand age and edaphic features.

Overstory and understory woody vegetation was surveyed during the summers of 1991-1994 in Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Wilderness battlefields, Virginia to examine forest composition and structure in relation to stand age and edaphic features.

C.Y. Chong's captivating and insightful revelation about what it's like to spend over two decades at WWF. This light-hearted collection of memoirs tells the compelling story of a company executive who walked away from global corporations and immersed himself in the world of non-profit - in this case, WWF, one of the world's largest conservation organisations. After years of working in the corporate sector, C.Y. Chong decided to pursue a new avenue of work. He joined WWF International as a finance manager and was soon promoted to Director of Finance - however, this book is about his non-financial experiences... Life on Planet WWF follows Chong as he travels and tells of a myriad of interesting and unforgettable happenings - being attacked by a mad crow being one. From fitting the letters `WWF' into a television interview as many times as possible, to having cocktails with HRH Prince Philip, he recalls visits to conferences, field projects or other events - each anecdote providing a unique insight into some of his truly extraordinary experiences at WWF. This book makes an interesting read for anyone thinking about a career outside the corporate sector as well as for the five million supporters of WWF and everything it stands for.

The trafficking of wildlife is increasingly recognized as both a specialized area of organized crime and a significant threat to many plant and animal species. The World Wildlife Crime Report 2016 takes stock of the present wildlife crime situation with a focus on illicit trafficking of specific protected species of wild fauna and flora, and provides a broad assessment of the nature and extent of the problem at the global level. It includes a quantitative market assessment and a series of in-depth illicit trade case studies.

During surveys in 2006, the authors documented 35 invasive, exotic plant species on Wilson's Creek National Battlefield. Their findings are detailed in this report.

This Report was commissioned under contract with the NPS to review "The state of knowledge and future monitoring of white-tailed deer browsing impacts in the Great Lakes Network." It is intended to assist the GLKN regional ecologists in developing a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for surveying and monitoring deer impacts within vegetation monitoring plots throughout the nine National Parks in the region.

This report summarizes the data collected in 2012 for City of Rocks National Reserve and Castle Rocks State Park. Both units are co-managed by the National Park Service and Idaho State Parks and Recreation. Throughout the rest of the report we refer to both units together as the Reserve and by acronym as CIRO.

What does the monkey know? What are the unknown secrets of the rainforests? What if the monkey knows more then he will tell? This book is about an imaginary rainforest where the young and young-at-heart will delight in meeting the extraordinary creatures living there. All scenes and creatures were first sculpted in polymer clay and then photographed to become a part of this wonderful book. This book was created to help children understand and protect our natural resources so that we don't destroy the gifts of Mother Earth.

The information presented in this report is a summary of the harbor seal data collected at Point Reyes National Seashore and Golden Gate National Recreation Area during the 2011 breeding and molting seasons, March-July. Summary data collected as part of a region-wide survey effort, including adjacent areas (San Francisco Bay, San Mateo County, and Sonoma County) where NPS surveys were conducted in conjunction with other agencies and organizations for 2011, are also presented.

A vital read for anyone who cares about the future of British wildlife. With a foreword by the BBC TV presenter Chris Packham. 'A thriller, whodunnit and impassioned polemic.' - PATRICK BARKHAM, THE GUARDIAN Dominic Dyer explores the science and electioneering behind Britain's most controversial wildlife policy: the badger cull. He exposes the catastrophic handling of bovine TB by the British government, the political manoeuvring that engineered the badger cull in 2010, and the ongoing close relationship in perpetuating the cull between the National Farmers Union and the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). He shines an unflattering spotlight on Cabinet ministers, the veterinary profession, environmental NGOs and the BBC. Reviews 'I enjoyed reading this book and I strongly recommend it to you. 'This is a powerful and stimulating read and it's bang up to date with the important issue it discusses. It is written by a passionate insider with years of experience. The narrative is pacey and exciting. This book arrived with me on Thursday afternoon and I had read it completely by early yesterday [Saturday] morning.' - MARK AVERY, WRITER, BLOGGER AND ENVIRONMENTAL CAMPAIGNER 'A vital must-read for anyone concerned about the badger's enduring place in the British countryside. 'A thriller, whodunnit and impassioned polemic, this is the inside story of the badger cull.' - PATRICK BARKHAM, THE GUARDIAN 'It should be read by all those battling against government policies that put money ahead of science and the environment. 'The book's conclusion is that the culls will be stopped, not by science or validity, but by cost. Yet Dyer remains optimistic: 'Despite all the incompetence, negligence and deceit, it's the caring compassionate British public who have made a stand for wildlife that gives me the most hope for the future.' 'His book pays tribute to the 'Badger Army', those many individuals from all walks of life who turned out to protest and importantly, once culling started, to protect the badgers out in the field. 'Those people will be patrolling the countryside, day and night, in every area where badger killing is taking place this autumn. While determined to protect their badgers, many also want to see the government help and support farmers to beat the TB in their cattle - but with proper cattle-based measures, not by senselessly killing wildlife.' - LESLEY DOCKSEY, THE ECOLOGIST, 'Why are our badgers 'Badgered to Death'?' Introduction by Chris Packham How viciously fickle we are. We arbitrarily pick and choose which species we like or dislike, normally and sadly based on purely anthropomorphic criteria, and then either laud or loathe them paying scant attention to the realities of their lives, or ours. And once cursed and demonised that tag is almost impossible to redress. Think rat, think fox... damned for historical crimes, firmly fixed as malevolent vermin, even in our supposedly enlightened age. But as this book displays we can also be quick to destroy the reputation of our animal heroes and blight their status with bigotry and ignorance. For many reasons we had come to love the badger, to cherish and admire it, to protect and celebrate it and of course many still do. But the reputation of this essential member of the UK's ecology has been targeted by a smear campaign which has been swallowed by the gullible and fuelled by those with vested interests. You see, in spite of all the science and all the truths that it outlines, the badger has become a scapegoat. Its been branded a 'bad guy' and is being persecuted as such. It's a terrible shame, but like I said, how fickle, how vicious, how predictably human. Buy the book and carry on reading Chris Packham's introduction

Since early on in the development of wind-energy production, concerns have arisen about the potential impacts of turbines to wildlife; these concerns have especially focused on the mortality of birds. Structural changes and improved turbine design have been instrumental in reducing mortality in birds. Despite the improvements to turbines that have resulted in reduced mortality of birds, there is clear evidence that bat mortality at wind turbines is of far greater conservation concern. Larger and taller turbines actually seem to be causing increased fatalities of bats. Numerous research opportunities exist that pertain to issues such as identifying the best and worst placement of sites for turbines; and mitigation strategies that would minimise impacts to wildlife (birds and bats). This book focuses on refereed journal publications and theses about bats and wind-energy development in North America.

Begins with in-depth coverage of wildlife behavior concepts as they relate to conservation problems. Topics will focus principally on discussion, critique, and development of behavioral concepts, with particular attention given to published studies on various topics in wildlife behavioral concepts as related to conservation and natural history. He will include an extensive list of references.

The Hunstein Rainforest I loved as a child is scheduled to be logged. Blissful birds of paradise dance in the mysterious Hunstein Mountains, unaware of their impending doom. The inhabitants of the tiny village of Wagu in Papua New Guinea who own the pristine forest, most importantly the widow Moyali, will decide the rainforest's fate even though they are not aware of its intrinsic value. I initiate a National Geographic expedition and follow along, trying to understand their struggles. Will they choose to save the trees? What is going to happen to their culture? One year later, I lead a small team on another expedition, a two week trek deep into the uncharted forest, following my tribal "uncle's" ideas, to gather photographs and challenge Mt. Hunstein. We fight food shortages, leeches and giant cassowaries, while rare birds, exotic flowers and crystal clear rivers fuel my deep love for this delicate forest. I come to realize only the villagers can save the rainforest.

The relationships between humans and aquatic mammals in the Neotropics has been important since archaic times in the American continent, but also varied across time and space, a fact taken on by this publication. In this book, the chapters were written by experts in the field of zooarchaeology, environmental archaeology and conservation biology and different lines of evidence and research questions are used to offer an archaeological approach to these long term relationships. One of the aims of this book is to discuss research questions, methodologies and results pursued and obtained across the different Neotropical regions. The range of variations in the zooarchaeological evidences that result from the aquatic mammal exploitation across time and space still cannot be clearly defined, and the book's chapters show clearly that different archaeological expectations on this matter seem to be linked to the ecological properties and internal subdivisions of the Neotropical region. Thus, the book leads the reader to consider the different ways humans impacted on aquatic mammal populations in both, the prehistoric and historic past. For that reason, we believe that the archeological data can contribute to deepen the knowledge about the natural history of the Neotropical aquatic mammals, eventually even helping to evaluate the ecological status of aquatic mammals in different areas of this region.

This innovative two-volume book highlights and examines the most important challenges facing farmers, conservationists, and policy makers, using examples of real-life, linked studies from a farmed landscape, which bridge the divide between the theory and practice of wildlife conservation on farmland. This set brings together Volume 1: Managing for nature on lowland farms and Volume 2: Conflict in the countryside. Volume 1 Using more than 30 years research from the author team at the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), this volume reveals how agricultural systems and wildlife interact, presenting examples from scales varying from landscape to microcosm, from populations to individuals, covering plants, invertebrates, birds, and mammals. It demonstrates the essential ecosystem services provided by agricultural land, and discusses the implications of agricultural development for natural habitats and biodiversity. Volume 2 Many of the encounters between farming and wildlife, especially vertebrates, involve some level of conflict which can cause disadvantage to both the wildlife and the people involved. Through a series of WildCRU case-studies, this volume investigates the sources of the problems, and ultimately of the threats to conservation, discussing a variety of remedies and mitigations, and demonstrating the benefits of evidence-based, inter-disciplinary policy.

Left in the wild, Billie the elephant would have spent her life surrounded by her family, free to wander the jungles of Asia. Instead, she was captured as a baby and shipped to America where she arrived in the mid 1950s, long before circus and zoo-goers worried about animal living conditions. Billie spent her first years confined in a tiny zoo yard giving rides to children. At 19, she was sold and groomed for life in the circus. Billie mastered difficult stunts: she could balance on her hind legs, walk on her front legs and perform one-foot handstands. For twenty-three years she dazzled audiences, but she lived a life of neglect and abuse. As years passed, Billie rebelled. When she attacked and injured her trainer, a federal inspector ordered her taken off the road. For a decade she languished in a dusty barn. Finally, fate intervened. The U.S. Department of Agriculture removed Billie and fifteen other elephants as part of the largest elephant rescue in American history. Billie wound up at a sanctuary for performing elephants in Tennessee at 45, but she thundered with anxiety in her new environment and refused to let anyone remove a chain still clamped around her leg. Last Chain on Billie charts the growing movement to rescue performing elephants from lives of misery, and tells the story of how one emotionally damaged elephant overcame her past and learned to trust humans again.