There are currently more than one thousand national parks around the world, from Yellowstone in the United States to Darmitor National Park in Yugoslavia. Many of these parks are threatened by poaching, development, pollution, overuse, and a host of other problems. The State of the World's Parks is the first systematic, international study of the pressures these special places face. The book examines two questions- "what are the threats to national parks worldwide, and what can be done about them? The authors borrow from the disciplines of ecology, anthropology, and sociology, as well as from the applied fields of wildlife management, park management, and environmental science. Their arguments are based on data collected from a survey of 135 parks in more than fifty countries; the voices of park managers, conservation officers, and game wardens are heard throughout the book. Recommendations, some controversial, are made for resource management, policy, and research. The State of the World's Parks is important reading for conservationists, park managers, policymakers, scientists, and citizens interested in national parks and their future.

National parks are a global phenomenon found in more than 120 countries. These parks are as diverse as the physical settings and cultural patterns of the many nations that have established them, yet within each country they serve as part of the cohesiveness that binds people together. Parks reflect-and help create-people's pride and love for their national heritage.

The purpose of this book is specific and ambitious: to outline the distinctive elements, scope, and usefulness of a new and emerging field of applied ecology named warfare ecology. Based on a NATO Advanced Research Workshop held on the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico, the book provides both a theoretical overview of this new field and case studies that range from mercury contamination during World War I in Slovenia to the ecosystem impacts of the Palestinian occupation, and from the bombing of coral reefs of Vieques to biodiversity loss due to violent conflicts in Africa. Warfare Ecology also includes reprints of several classical papers that set the stage for the new synthesis described by the authors. Written for environmental scientists, military and humanitarian relief professionals, conservation managers, and graduate students in a wide range of fields, Warfare Ecology is a major step forward in understanding the relationship between war and ecological systems.

The purpose of this book is specific and ambitious: to outline the distinctive elements, scope, and usefulness of a new and emerging field of applied ecology named warfare ecology. Based on a NATO Advanced Research Workshop held on the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico, the book provides both a theoretical overview of this new field and case studies that range from mercury contamination during World War I in Slovenia to the ecosystem impacts of the Palestinian occupation, and from the bombing of coral reefs of Vieques to biodiversity loss due to violent conflicts in Africa. Warfare Ecology also includes reprints of several classical papers that set the stage for the new synthesis described by the authors. Written for environmental scientists, military and humanitarian relief professionals, conservation managers, and graduate students in a wide range of fields, Warfare Ecology is a major step forward in understanding the relationship between war and ecological systems.

This is a turbulent time for the conservation of America's natural and cultural heritage. From the current assaults on environmental protection to the threats of climate change, biodiversity loss, and disparity of environmental justice, the challenges facing the conservation movement are both immediate and long term. In this time of uncertainty, we need a clear and compelling guide for the future of conservation in America; a declaration to inspire the next generation of conservation leaders. This is that guide--what the authors describe as "a chart for rough water." Written by the first scientist appointed as science advisor to the director of the National Park Service and the eighteenth director of the National Park Service, this is a candid, passionate, and ultimately hopeful book. The authors describe a unified vision of conservation that binds nature protection, historical preservation, sustainability, public health, civil rights and social justice, and science into common cause--and offer real-world strategies for progress. To be read, pondered, debated, and often revisited, The Future of Conservation in America is destined to be a touchstone for the conservation movement in the decades ahead.

An intimate and candid account of our national parks detailing their strengths, vulnerabilities, and essential role in American life "An important [book], . . . essential reading for anyone concerned about the future of America's national parks.-John Miles, National Parks Traveler Part memoir, part critique, and a paean to the value of national parks, American Covenant distills the experience and insights from two long careers in conservation. Michael A. Soukup and Gary E. Machlis show how the national parks are essential to maintaining the essence of our national heritage, and key to America's future in a changing climate and political landscape. Sharing real-world examples of both victories and defeats in protecting national parks, this candid, thoughtful book reminds us that the national parks are a promise-a covenant-within and between generations of Americans. The book is also a call to revitalize, reconstitute, reconfigure, and reform the National Park Service, which the authors believe is governed too much by outdated management practices and politics instead of a foundation of expertise and science.

As the US National Park Service marks its centennial in 2016, parks and protected areas worldwide are under increasing threat from a variety of factors, including storms and fires of greater severity, plant and animal extinctions, the changing attitudes of a public that has become more urbanized, and the political pressures of narrow special interest groups. In the face of such rapid environmental and cultural changes, Science, Conservation, and National Parks gathers a group of renowned scholars including Edward O. Wilson, Jane Lubchenco, Thomas Dietz, and Monica Turner, among many others who seek to address these problems and, in so doing, to secure a future for protected areas that will push forward the frontiers of biological, physical, and social science in and for parks. Examining the major challenges of parks and protected areas throughout the world, contributors provide answers to a number of key conservation questions, such as: How should stewardship address climate change, urban encroachment and pollution, and invasive species? How can society, especially youth, become more engaged with nature and parks, and are there models to guide interactions between parks and their neighbors? What are appropriate conservation objectives for parks in the Anthropocene? Charting a course for the parks of the next century, Science, Conservation, and National Parks is certain not only to catalyze the continued evolution of US park conservation policy, but also to be an inspiration for parks, conservation, and management worldwide.

A landmark book that strives to provide both grand theory and practical application, innovatively describing the structure and dynamics of human ecosystems As the world faces ever more complex and demanding environmental and social challenges, the need for interdisciplinary models and practical guidance becomes acute. The Human Ecosystem Model described in this landmark book provides an innovative response. Broad in scope, detailed in method, at once theoretical and applied, this grand study offers an in-depth understanding of human ecosystems and tools for action. The authors draw from Goethe's Faust, classic anthropology and sociology studies, contemporary ecosystem ecology, Buddhist ethics, and more to create a seminal model and a major advance in interdisciplinary ecology.