This book reexamines current knowledge on the evolution, ecology, and conservation biology of both New World vultures (Cathartidae) and Old World vultures (Accipitridae) and seeks answers to past and present regional extinctions, colorizations, and conservation questions. Extinct species of both families are examined, as is the disputed evidence for familial similarities and differences currently under review by geneticists and ornithologists. Conservation questions concern the extent to which recent land cover change (deforestation, urbanization, and desertification), wildlife depletions, and pollution have affected scavenging vultures. Such changes are examined as both positive and negative for vultures-a growing body of literature hints at the positive impacts of urban waste, more open forests, forest fires, landscape cultivation, road kills, and shore development, especially with increased attention to bird adaptation and "new" theories of adaptive management in conservation. These are contrasted with the conservation of other raptors and scavengers. Within new trends in conservation, with emphases on animal/human shared co-evolution in intensely habituated spaces, vulture conservation requires important new perspectives that contrast with the needs of other species conservation.

Analyzes the evolution of eagles from other raptor species. Compares the eagle species, from multidisciplinary perspectives. Evaluates the human cultural factor in eagle-human relations through time. Compiles a complete bibliography of the relevant literature. Provides an identification guide for identification of eagles.

This book reexamines current knowledge on the evolution, ecology, and conservation biology of both New World vultures (Cathartidae) and Old World vultures (Accipitridae) and seeks answers to past and present regional extinctions, colorizations, and conservation questions. Extinct species of both families are examined, as is the disputed evidence for familial similarities and differences currently under review by geneticists and ornithologists. Conservation questions concern the extent to which recent land cover change (deforestation, urbanization, and desertification), wildlife depletions, and pollution have affected scavenging vultures. Such changes are examined as both positive and negative for vultures-a growing body of literature hints at the positive impacts of urban waste, more open forests, forest fires, landscape cultivation, road kills, and shore development, especially with increased attention to bird adaptation and "new" theories of adaptive management in conservation. These are contrasted with the conservation of other raptors and scavengers. Within new trends in conservation, with emphases on animal/human shared co-evolution in intensely habituated spaces, vulture conservation requires important new perspectives that contrast with the needs of other species conservation.

Analyzes the evolution of eagles from other raptor species. Compares the eagle species, from multidisciplinary perspectives. Evaluates the human cultural factor in eagle-human relations through time. Compiles a complete bibliography of the relevant literature. Provides an identification guide for identification of eagles.

This book takes an incisive, political ecology perspective of the development of agriculture in the West African nation of Ghana (formerly the British colony of the Gold Coast), focusing on agricultural, socio-cultural, economic, political and environmental issues during the pre-colonial (pre-16th century), colonial and post colonial periods (after 1957, up until 1992, the start of the last Republic). This integrated approach for the study of agricultural development and environmental change is very relevant to the Ghanaian context. Here, complex historical, political and socio-cultural factors have been combined, within a fairly short period, to contribute to an environmental metamorphosis. A complicated mosaic of indeterminate vegetation climaxes, such as depleted and secondary forests, derived savannah and savannah woodland, has gradually replaced the primeval rain forest, deciduous forest and savannah. Problems include soil erosion and desertification risk. This, largely due to human agency, is explainable by examining the political and economic relations behind the resource exploitation methods devised by the different actors in the political, economic and social system.

This book looks at theories of nature-society relations and development, applied to soil erosion and environmental change in West Africa, and Ghana. Acknowledging the importance of power relations for environmental management, the book begins with an examination of the field of political ecology, alternately the "political economy of the environment." It assesses the role of this sub-discipline within geography and anthropology, and its role in practical conservation planning and the management of soil erosion. Political ecology tilts towards a structuralist approach, hence social theories (actor oriented studies and structuration theory) sensitive to actor analysis are examined as complementary frameworks. Structuration theory is discussed as attempting to tie the concepts of structure and actor together and provide a basis for the study of political, economic, socio-cultural and environmental contexts. These theories connect to the issues of livelihood and household analysis, gender relations and the economic, ecological and Green political variants of the paradigm of sustainable development.

This book covers selected topics on research methods in modern ecology, through the lens of 8 chapters, focusing on animal ecology, landcover assessment and habitat change, human perspectives and management, and research techniques, with examples taken from the Indian subcontinent. This area has emerged as one of the pivotal zones where cutting edge applications may be tested. Topics examined include the development and management of computer software techniques and the syntheses of these into pre-existing research methods, chemical analyses, including studies of animal dietary and foraging patterns, landcover, habitat and plant ecological change and even human/animal relations, and genetic studies. Remote sensing and geographical information systems are considered as cutting-edge research methods, at small, medium and large-scale levels, including more accurate positioning systems, more sensitive tracking systems, the removal of obstacles to clearer observation and species identification, such as darkness and poor lighting, dense vegetation and coarse image resolution and more comparative studies across different local contexts and global ecosystems. The topics cover geoinformatics applications to forest management in India, the paradigm shifts in this area, and the promotion and integration of sustainable forest management (SFM) and geoinformatics within the National Working Plan Code. Another case study is of Geoinformatics, Climate Change, Habitat Dynamics and a Case of Vultures in Central India, focusing on vulture ecology and related climatic variables, assessed with geoinformatics, Species Distribution Models (SDMs) and Global Circulation Models (GCMs). Other topics concern the use of tracking technologies including drones, the use of thermal and infrared drones in the study of large mammalian carnivores, the role of remote sensing and GIS in the assessment of natural resource development, clustering around the central concept of change detection, and the monitoring of agricultural development using socio-cultural parameters. This book presents these issues as some factors among the vast number of current ecological issues.

This edited book, composed of chapters written by scholars of the environmental and biological sciences, examines selected topics from the vast field of conservation biology, with a focus on some of the issues that dominate the current discourses and practices on the conservation biology of large wildlife. The first chapter examines the history and status of conservation biology and examines the status of large wildlife in conservation biology research. The second chapter examines the issues related to urban forestry and conservation, justified by the vast expansion of urban landcover into the habitats of large wildlife and the consequences for people and animals. Chapters Three and Four focus on big cats in the Americas and apply ideas from the theory of conservation biology to assess their conservation possibilities. Chapter Five examines the land cover conflicts that occur between people and animals when transportation networks intrude on habitats. Chapter Six looks at the nuances of governance and the impact on conservation policy. Chapter Seven describes the value of integrated research and geomatics in the applications to protected management. Chapter Eight takes a novel, total ecosystem approach by examining micro- and meso-fauna and their function in ecosystems inclusive of macro-fauna. Chapter Nine takes a case study of vultures, which are the most important scavengers in the world, and examines the impacts of recent diseases that severely decimated their numbers. Chapter Ten takes a case study of a unique savanna area on the forested West African coast, and investigates the ecology of the area and the factors for the extinction of large wildlife.