This book covers a broad spectrum of topics related to GMOs and allied new gene-based technologies, biodiversity, and ecosystem processes, bringing together the contributions of researchers and regulators from around the world. The aim is to offer a clear view of the benefits and effects of genetically modified crops, insects, and other animals on the soil microbiome and ecological processes. Contributors examine issues related to the development of risk assessment procedures and regulations designed to maximize benefits while minimizing risks. Beyond the scientific challenges of GMOs, the book explores the broad and contentious terrain of ethical considerations. The contributors discuss such questions as the unintended, possibly unforeseen, consequences of releasing GMOs into ecosystems, and the likelihood that the full effects of GMOs could take years, even decades, of close monitoring to become evident. The importance of developing a precautionary approach is stressed. The final chapter describes the critical issues of governance and regulation of new and emerging gene-based technologies, as nations grapple with the consequences of adopting the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CPB). The volume includes an extensive Annex which outlines legal perspectives on the state of GMO governance around the world, with more than 20 examples from nations in Africa, South and Central America, Asia, Australasia, and Europe.

Proceedings of a NATO ARW held in Paris, France, May 11-14, 1993.

Original studies address key aspects of the conservation and biodiversity of plants. Articles are all peer-reviewed primary research papers, contributed by leading biodiversity researchers from around the world. Collectively, these articles provide a snapshot of the major issues and activities in global plant conservation. Many of the articles can serve as excellent case studies for courses in ecology, restoration, biodiversity, and conservation.

This book presents a wide range of contributions addressing diverse aspects of biodiversity exploitation and conservation. These collectively provide a snapshot of ongoing action and state-of-the-art research, rather than a series of necessarily more superficial overviews. Examples presented here derive from studies in 17 countries including Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America. These reports will stimulate future work toward attaining a sustainable balance between the conservation and exploitation of biodiversity.

This book brings together a selection of original studies that address biodiversity and conservation in Europe. The contributions are drawn from a wide range of countries and discuss diverse organism and habitat types. They collectively provide a snap-shot of the sorts of studies and actions being taken in Europe to address issues in biodiversity and conservation topical examples that make the volume especially valuable for use in conservation biology courses."

This book draws together a wide range of papers from researchers around the world that address the conservation and biodiversity of vertebrates, particularly those in terrestrial habitats. Collectively, the papers provide a snap-shot of the types of studies and actions being taken in vertebrate conservation and provide topical examples that will make the volume especially valuable for use in conservation biology courses.

Marine, coastal and wetland habitats are threatened, not only through exploitation, but also by the prospect of climate change as ocean currents change course, sea levels rise, and rainfall patterns change. Even the once-common cod is now under threat from the combined effects of over-fishing and a dramatic change-induced decrease in the plankton that cod larvae feed on. Meanwhile, coral reefs remain especially vulnerable to rapid sea-level changes exacerbated by the effects of tourism and disease.

This book gathers together a wide range of papers reporting on key research into the biodiversity conservation of these critical and increasingly threatened habitats. Collectively these papers provide a snap-shot of the types of problems they are experiencing, and offer a wealth of topical examples which render this volume especially valuable to teachers of courses in marine, freshwater and wetlands ecology, biological conservation and ecological restoration."

This book brings together a selection of original studies submitted to Biodiversity and Conservation that address biodiversity and conservation in Europe. Europe is certainly the most intensively inventoried region of the world; detailed maps are available for species distributions while action plans are being drawn up for species under threat. At the same time, the wildlife of Europe has been subject to enormous human pressures, with limited wilderness' sites remaining in most countries. Europe consequently presents a case-study of what the human impact on biodiversity has been, and also what can be done to improve the situation.The contributions in this volume are drawn from a wide range of countries and discuss diverse organism and habitat types.

This book brings together a selection of original studies submitted to Biodiversity and Conservation addressing aspects of the conservation and biodiversity of plants. Plants are, along with terrestrial vertebrates, the best known organisms on Earth, and and so work on them can be a model for that on less known organism groups. Further, plants are crucial to ecosystem processes, and provide habitats and food for myriads of dependent organisms. At the same time, plants are exploited for food and fuel by humans, and forests continue to be felled for the timber trade or to provide more grazing for cattle. As individual plants are not mobile, they are also particularly vulnerable to global climate change. The contributions are drawn from a wide range of countries from different continents, and collectively provide a snap-shot of the types of studies and actions being taken in plant conservation ? topical examples that will make the volume especially valuable for use in conservation biology courses.

This book brings together a selection of original studies submitted to Biodiversity and Conservation that address the conservation and biodiversity of vertebrates - particularly those in terrestrial habitats. Vertebrates are, along with plants, the best-known and most intensively studied components of biological diversity on Earth. While studies on vertebrates can be expected to provide models for other groups, they can also pose their own particular problems due to their relative mobility as in some migratory birds. In addition, many mammals & fish are also subject to extensive human exploitation for food or sport. The contributions in this volume are drawn from a wide range of countries - from Australasia, East Africa, Europe, and North, Central and South America. Collectively they provide a snap-shot of the types of studies and actions being taken in vertebrate conservation.

Natural forests with thousands of years of ecological continuity are unrivalled as the treasure store of terrestrial biodiversity on Earth. And while there is currently no fully comprehensive inventory of the biota associated with any given forest, it is reasonable to assume that in conserving natural forests we can conserve the myriads of unnamed bacteria, fungi, insects, mites and nematodes that forests support.

Drawing on diverse research from biodiversity experts around the world, this collection of papers reflects the diversity of forest types and forest issues that concern forest scientists globally. Forest types considered vary from savannah and tropical rainforests to the ancient oak forests of Poland; issues explored include the effects of logging, management practices, forest dynamics and climate change on forest structure and biodiversity.

Given the range of topics covered, this book should be of particular interest to those involved in teaching forest conservation and management, as well as to researchers requiring an overview of current work in forest diversity, conservation and sustainable management.

Reprinted from Biodiversity and Conservation 15: 4 (2006).

Despite their enormous bulk and complexity of architecture, plants make up only around a quarter of a million of the 8 million or so species on Earth. The major components of biodiversity, instead, are the smaller, largely unseen, silent majority of invertebrates - most of which are arthropods. Vertebrates, a mere blip on the biotic horizon, are elevated in importance in the bigger scheme of things only by the human psyche.This collection of more than 30 peer-reviewed papers focuses on the diversity and conservation of arthropods, whose species inhabit virtually every recess and plane - and feature somewhere in virtually every food web - on the planet. Highlighting issues ranging from large-scale disturbance to local management, and from spatial heterogeneity to temporal patterns, these papers reflect some of the most exciting new research taking place today - and in some of the most biodiverse corners of the planet.

While biodiversity is a hot word, the conceptual scientific issues underlying its quantification have received scant attention. What is biodiversity? Is biodiversity just the number of species in an area? If biodiversity is more than this how can it be measured? Are all species of equal weight? Should biodiversity measures include intraspecific genetic variance? Do some species contribute more than others to the biodiversity of an area? Are there useful indicators of areas where biodiversity is high? And, can the extent of biodiversity be estimated by extrapolation?

The proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on title], held in Paris, France, May 1993, provide a comprehensive view of the present state of ascomycete systematics. Following an introductory section, are sections devoted to ascoma and thallus structure and ontogeny; conidiomata and mitos

Marine, coastal and wetland habitats are threatened, through exploitation, and also by climate change, as ocean currents change course, sea levels rise, and rainfall patterns change. This book gathers papers on the biodiversity conservation of these increasingly threatened habitats. The papers provide a snapshot of the problems they face, and offer numerous examples which render this volume valuable to educators in marine, freshwater and wetlands ecology, conservation and ecological restoration.

This book gathers together a wide range of contributions addressing diverse aspects of front-line human involvement in biodiversity exploitation and conservation. As such they collectively provide a snap-shot of on-going action and state-of-the-art research, rather than a series of necessarily more superficial overviews. As such it is envisaged that it will be of particular interest to courses including biodiversity and/or conservation issues, and to advanced students and researchers working in related fields. The scope of these embraces cases involving birds, crop plants, invertebrates, land use changes, livestock, mammals, marine organisms, and medicinal plants and issues related to the importance of gardens, hedges and green lanes, housing developments, hunting, invasive species, local community involvement, sacred groves, socio-economic factors, and trade.

Periodic comprehensive overviews of the status of the diverse organisms that make up wildlife are essential to determining trends, threats and future prospects. In the 1970s, leading authorities on different kinds of kinds of wildlife came together to prepare an assessment of their status of a wide range of organisms in Great Britain and Ireland in "The Changing Flora and Fauna of Britain", also edited by Professor David L. Hawksworth CBE. Now, in "The Changing Wildlife of Great Britain and Ireland", he has gathered together some of the original and also new contributors to review changes since that time and look to the future. Contributions range from viruses, diatoms, fungi, lichens, mites and nematodes; through butterflies, dragonflies, flies and slugs; to flowering plants, ferns, mammals, birds and fish. The state of knowledge in different groups is assessed, and the effectiveness of statutory and other measures taken to safeguard wildlife considered. The picture is far from bleak - ameliorating sulphur dioxide levels have benefited sensitive lichens and mosses in a dramatic way, water quality improvement has been beneficial, there have been few certain extinctions and rediscov