A guide to exploring 365 of Scotland's most scenic, wildlife-rich and historically significant woodlands. From the precious fragments of Caledonian pine forest to lesser-known wildwoods and urban copses, Scottish woodlands offer places of sanctuary, both for wildlife and for people. In this practical guide, Gabriel Hemery brings together the beauty, purpose, history, wildlife and ownership of some of the most extraordinary woodland sites in the country, from the largest (the Forest of Ae, which covers more than 10,000 hectares) to the smallest (Halligarth in the Shetland Islands, measuring less than a third of a hectare), and everything in-between. Some woods are notable for having the tallest or rarest trees, others are the best places in the country for spotting ospreys or red squirrels, or even marine mammals; some are known as the best places to explore preserved archaeological features, discovering hidden histories or simply enjoying spectacular scenery. Divided into 14 regions, each beginning with a summary of the region's woodland heritage, this guide features 365 sites, including details of ownership, designation, area, forest type, how to access it (including grid reference, post code and 'what3words' reference), alongside a description of the site's key features. Featuring more than 200 stunning photographs of Scotland's plants, animals and spectacular landscapes and expert region maps to help guide you to your nearest forest site, this is an essential book for adventurers, ramblers and wildlife enthusiasts. Wherever you may be in Scotland, with this guide you will never be far from a fascinating forest site!

Hotter and dryer than most parts of the world, the Middle East could soon see climate change exacerbate food and water shortages, aggravate social inequalities, and drive displacement and political destabilization. And as renewable energy eclipses fossil fuels, oil rich countries in the Middle East will see their wealth diminish. Amidst these imminent risks is a call to action for regional leaders. Could countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates harness the region's immense potential for solar energy and emerge as vanguards of global climate action? The Power of Deserts surveys regional climate models and identifies the potential impact on socioeconomic disparities, population movement, and political instability. Offering more than warning and fear, however, the book highlights a potentially brighter future-a recent shift across the Middle East toward renewable energy. With his deep knowledge of the region and knack for presenting scientific data with clarity, Dan Rabinowitz makes a sober yet surprisingly optimistic investigation of opportunity arising from a looming crisis.

This book describes the importance of water resources for socio-economic and ecological development including geomorphic and ecological environments. Hence, conservation, management and development of water resources have become necessary for the all-around development of global populations and the environment. It is the outcome of valuable contributions made by eminent scientists and research scholars who have developed alternative strategies, solutions and models for sustainable water resources through research, monitoring and experiments varying from regional to global scale. This book is of immense use to the policymakers, environmentalists, ecologists, academician, research scholars and people in general concerned with water resources management.

The sand seas of Saudi Arabia, although well-known in literature, remain poorly explored scientifically. This is the first book to analyze, both quantitatively and qualitatively, the patterns, nature, and communities of the vegetation of the sand seas, using new techniques which the authors hope will prove adaptable for similar studies in other areas. The book covers such topics as the natural environment of the sand seas, vegetative paleohistory, and the importance of the sand seas as a recreational area.

Pliny's World offers readers a translation of the Natural History's opening books unprecedented for its completeness, accuracy and accessibility. Here, in quirky, often breathless style, Pliny lays the foundation of a hugely influential encyclopedia with coverage of the universe, stars, planets and moon, followed by earth's climate and then its physical and human geography. From Rome as ruling centerpoint, Pliny surveys the known world and its countless peoples in a vast arc from the Atlantic to Sri Lanka, embracing the Danube, Euphrates and Nile lands, Atlas and Caucasus mountains, Germany, Africa, Arabia, India. Passages from later books further illustrating his geographical grasp are appended, on topics as varied as wine, water, trees, birds and fish. Throughout, Pliny's frank expression of strong opinions about religion, distorted human values, abuse of the environment (and more) reveals uncannily modern preoccupations. His work remained an inspirational resource through the Renaissance, and still fascinates today.

This book combines multidisciplinary studies on the environmental consequences of intensified use of land and water, and the fusion of land to provide food for a growing population. Studies on water, vegetation, and soil are addressed from an environmental management perspective with a special focus on the relation between natural elements and humans. This book considers the essential dynamics of humans and the natural environment, which is especially important in areas with shallow water-table that influence directly on agricultural activities (crops, livestock, and forests), land management, flooding, droughts, waterlogging, salt-affected soils (saline and sodic) and variation in obtained water quality in wells where these processes as related to the local and regional geomorphology control. The studies present hydrological processes towards the definition of an adequate use of soil and water with consequences of its management on the environment. Also, water study procedures are presented as well as their relation to other elements of the landscape. Methodologies such as the Tothian flow system concept are recognized by different authors to provide the reader with solid interdisciplinary analyses of related environmental components such as soils, vegetation, surface water, geomorphology, geological framework and groundwater physical-chemical composition.

Britain's maritime tradition is well documented. The management of its marine and coastal environment is therefore of tantamount importance, and offers lessons for other nations across the world. The beginning of the new millennium marks a major, long-term turning point in the historical development of Britain's maritime interest discernible by continued diversification and intensification in the uses of the sea; unprecedented and often adverse environmental impacts engendered by these uses; and the beginning of a major effort to establish a comprehensive management system which can deal with both multiple uses and environmental impacts.
This collection, featuring an impressive list of contributors, covers themes including maritime history, environmental issues, public policy, tourism, technology and resources as well as open sea development and management. It is a useful addition for those interested in geography, the environment, maritime studies and also engineering.

Following the destruction of 95% of meadows during the twentieth century, there is an urgent need to understand what little unspoiled habitat remains in order to plan the management and restoration of existing sites, as well as re-creating future grassland habitats. This book is a much-needed guide to grassland restoration and management. Providing a thorough overview of recent research on grassland restoration and its implications for practical grassland restoration and management, it introduces grassland communities and the wildlife they support, including examples of species of conservation concern, and considers the management of semi-natural grassland habitats with particular emphasis on drier grassland habitats. Chapters cover: - Grassland character and communities - Introduction to grassland wildlife - Managing semi-natural grassland - Grassland restoration - threats and challenges - Opportunities in grassland restoration - Plant material for grassland restoration - Defining success in grassland restoration. A variety of management techniques are examined, including soil amendment, cultivation, harvesting and maintenance in creating suitable conditions for the successful restoration of species-rich grasslands. It is essential reading for conservationists, site owners or managers, practitioners, conservation organizations and students of ecological restoration with an interest in the creation of new grassland habitats, the restoration of semi-natural grassland, as well as the continuing management of semi-natural (unimproved) grassland communities.

Airplane Performance on Grass Airfields presents an experiment-based approach to analysis and flight testing of airfield performance on grass runways. It discusses improvements for operations efficiency and safety of these airfields. The book analyzes the interaction between the landing gear wheels and the surface of a grass runways during both takeoff and landing. Considering the ground performance of an aircraft on a grass runway, the book covers test methods and devices for measuring performance and introduces an information system for the surface condition of grass airfields: GARFIELD. The system is based on a tire-grass interaction model and uses digital soil maps, as well as current meteorological data obtained from a weather server. The book is intended for researchers and practicing engineers in the fields of aviation and aircraft safety and performance.

With the underpinning role of forage legumes in the nitrogen economy and animal productivity from temperate grasslands certain to expand in the future, particularly in regions where their potential has not yet been realized, it is essential that the wealth of information currently available is widely disseminated. This book serves the purpose with very detailed information on and illustrations of 35 selected forage legume species that will contribute to more efficient and viable grassland farming.

This book is a comprehensive resource for climate change impacts and scenarios on cross-cutting issues in Bangladesh and other tropical low-lying countries in Asia. The book promotes mitigation and adaptation strategies for learning and innovation to tackle climate change impacts, reduce inequality, as well as include changes in food, energy, health, education, and social protection policies in Bangladesh and Asian low-lying countries. Through several case studies, this book provides a powerful framework for identifying management tools and their applications in environment and governance including; climate change and natural hazards, climate change and energy framework, gender inequality and capacity building, and community participants and the actions needed to protect them. The aim of this book is to provide information to scientists, practitioners, academics, and government and non-government policy-makers to help them better understand the particularities of climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies for cross-cutting issues in Bangladesh.

This book explores the relationship between rivers and ethics in China, with a particular focus on the health of the Yellow River and China's sustainable development. Though the book falls into the category of East Asian History, it is an interdisciplinary academic work that addresses not only history, but also culture, human geography and physical geography. It traces the changes in the Yellow River over time and examines the origin and developmental course of Chinese civilization, which has always been closely intertwined with the Yellow River. It also draws comparisons between the Yellow River and the Yangtze, Nile, Tigris, Euphrates and Indus rivers to provide insights into how they have contributed to civilizations. At the same time, it discusses the lessons learned from people's taming the Yellow River. Most significantly, the book explores the relationship between humans and the environment from an ethical standpoint, making it an urgent reminder of the crucial role that human activities play in environmental issues concerning the Yellow River so as to achieve a sustainable development for China's "mother river." The intended audience includes academic readers researching East Asian and Chinese history & culture, geography, human geography, historical geography, the environment, river civilizations, etc., as well as history and geography lovers and members of the general public who are interested in the Yellow River and the civilization that has evolved around it.

This encyclopaedia contains 350 entries arranged alphabetically. The topics include biospeleology (by organism and by habitat); cave and karst geoscience; cave archaeology and human use of caves; art in caves; cave and karst history; hydrology and groundwater; conservation and management; and exploration, equipment and rescue. The largest number of entries are on cave and karst sites across the world from individual caves such as Mammoth Cave (the world's longest cave) and Krubera (the deepest in the world) through key regions such as the Dinaric karst and the Gunung Mulu World Heritage Site, to coverage of individual countries such as Iran and New Zealand or larger areas (Asia, Central; Asia, South-east, etc.). The essays in this volume, written by an international team of specialists, progress from general concepts to deeper understanding with jargon explained for the non-specialist. Each essay is fully referenced, with suggestions for further reading and cross-references to related encyclopaedia articles.

A vividly illustrated work, the Atlas of the World's Deserts describes the hostile and extreme environments that cover more than a seventh of the world's surface. Yet, in spite of such harsh conditions, fauna and flora have developed and flourished, and humans have adapted to living in a seemingly inhospitable environment. The atlas examines in detail all aspects of the deserts, their geology, geography, history, culture, and biodiversity, from the Polar Regions to the Sahara and the Mojave Desert. Sidebars highlight particular aspects of the story of the deserts, such as the formation of sand dunes and the cave-dwelling quartz miners of central Australia. The numerous full color illustrations include spectacular, large-scale photographs that capture the stark beauty of the desert's color and light and original maps that illustrate the varying topography of the different regions. Each chapter concentrates on a specific characteristic of deserts including the process by which deserts are formed, the plants and animals that inhabit the desert, and the desert in modern times. Separating the chapters are unique atlas sections that contain detailed maps of the deserts of different continents along with commentary and facts particular to that specific desert. The Atlas of the World's Deserts is a vibrant and thorough portrait of the desert regions of the world and an excellent resource for exploring every feature of the desert ecosystem.

This book focuses on the present and future challenges of managing ecosystem transformation on a planet where human impacts are pervasive. In this new epoch, the Anthropocene, the already rapid rate of species loss is amplified by climate change and other stress factors, causing transformation of highly-valued landscapes. Many locations are already transforming into novel ecosystems, where new species, interactions, and ecological functions are creating landscapes unlike anything seen before. This has sparked contentious debate not just about science, but about decision-making, responsibility, fairness, and human capacity to intervene. Clement argues that the social and ecological reality of the Anthropocene requires modernised governance and policy to confront these new challenges and achieve ecological objectives. There is a real opportunity to enable society to cope with transformed ecosystems by changing governance, but this is notoriously difficult. Aimed at anyone involved in these conversations, be those researchers, practitioners, decision makers or students, this book brings together diffuse research exploring how to confront institutional change and ecological transformation in different contexts, and provides insight into how to translate governance concepts into productive pathways forward.

The world's deserts are sufficiently large that, in theory, covering a fraction of their landmass with PV systems could generate many times the current primary global energy supply. The third book in the Energy from the Desert series examines the socio-economic, environmental and financial issues surrounding the use of Very Large Scale Photovoltaics (VLS-PV). It provides detailed coverage of technology and financing options (including recent and future trends in PV technology), potential social benefits such as desalination and agricultural development, and environmental and ecological impacts of systems and how these can be monitored, illustrated by case studies from the Sahara and Gobi Deserts. The concluding section consists of a roadmap outlining the options and opportunities for future implementation of VLS-PV. Building on the key concepts and case studies of previous volumes, this will be a key text for policy-makers and investors in the field.

This book gives a comprehensive treatment of coastal evolution and dynamics, providing background for the study of coastal landforms and how and why they are changing, with up to date information, world-wide coverage of examples, numerous illustrations and extensive references to the scientific literature. Coastal Geomorphology: An Introduction gives a systematic approach to the subject of coastal geomorphology, dealing with the shaping of landforms, the changing levels of land and sea, the array of coastal processes that have influenced the shaping of landforms and the changes that are taking place on them. It analyses the causes of erosion and accretion on sectors of the coastline and examines the factors that have contributed to these, preparing the way for management strategies. This book includes discussions on the effects that human activities have had on coasts and their continuing contributions to coastal landform changes. This book is an essential read for undergraduate and graduate students in geomorphology, geography, marine science and coastal management courses, anyone concerned with coastal planning, development and management, and organisations concerned with conservation and use of the coast.

Wetlands are an important, and sadly diminishing, habitat in many parts of the world. They contribute significantly to the planet's biodiversity, housing thousands of species of plants and animals. Increasingly, human management is required to sustain, and even create these fragile ecosystems, and global changes in climate are also taking their toll.
Understanding Wetlands explains how wetlands are created naturally and how they sustain themselves. It describes how the flora and fauna of these unique habitats are ideally adapted to their environment, and how the ecosystem copes with pollutants and climatic change. The impact of human activity such as farming, building and recreation is also assessed. The book concludes with a look at the need for conservation and various conservation techniques.
This integrated and holistic account of wetlands is a valuable reference for students of ecology, biology and environmental science. Its beautiful illustrations and accessible style also makes it ideal for the general reader with an interest in the natural world.