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Climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, resource depletion,
new emerging diseases: scientists have raised awareness on the
ecological and societal consequences of the unbridled development
of human activities for a long time. Why do we keep destroying
nature when science makes it clear that in doing so we risk our own
destruction? How can we stop destroying our life-support system and
reach some kind of harmony between humans and nature? This book
seeks to answer these questions. It describes the inability of
modern society to fundamentally modify its relationship with
nature, instead engaging in collective fictions such as
subject-object duality, matter-mind duality, the primacy of
rationality, and the superiority of the human species over all
other life. Subsequent chapters identify avenues which could allow
human societies to break the current deadlock and forge a
relationship with the natural world. This path is rooted in a
simple observation: humans have a nature that defines them as a
unique species beyond their cultural differences, and at the
foundation of this nature we share a set of fundamental needs. The
expression and satisfaction of these needs provide an opportunity
to reconnect humans with nature in all its forms. Nature That Makes
Us Human combines recent scientific discoveries in biology and
psychology with deep philosophical inquiry—in addition to
economic, political, and historical considerations—to understand
what motivates us to keep destroying nature today and how we can
engage in a new relationship with nature tomorrow. This book is for
anyone interested in understanding and overcoming the current
ecological crisis.
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The Princeton Guide to Ecology (Paperback)
Simon A. Levin, Stephen R. Carpenter, H. Charles J. Godfray, Ann P. Kinzig, Michel Loreau, …
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The Princeton Guide to Ecology is a concise, authoritative
one-volume reference to the field's major subjects and key
concepts. Edited by eminent ecologist Simon Levin, with
contributions from an international team of leading ecologists, the
book contains more than ninety clear, accurate, and up-to-date
articles on the most important topics within seven major areas:
autecology, population ecology, communities and ecosystems,
landscapes and the biosphere, conservation biology, ecosystem
services, and biosphere management. Complete with more than 200
illustrations (including sixteen pages in color), a glossary of key
terms, a chronology of milestones in the field, suggestions for
further reading on each topic, and an index, this is an essential
volume for undergraduate and graduate students, research
ecologists, scientists in related fields, policymakers, and anyone
else with a serious interest in ecology. * Explains key topics in
one concise and authoritative volume * Features more than ninety
articles written by an international team of leading ecologists *
Contains more than 200 illustrations, including sixteen pages in
color * Includes glossary, chronology, suggestions for further
reading, and index * Covers autecology, population ecology,
communities and ecosystems, landscapes and the biosphere,
conservation biology, ecosystem services, and biosphere management
How will biodiversity loss affect ecosystem functioning, ecosystem
services, and human well-being?
In an age of accelerating biodiversity loss, this timely and
critical volume summarizes recent advances in
biodiversity-ecosystem functioning research and explores the
economics of biodiversity and ecosystem services. The book starts
by summarizing the development of the basic science and provides a
meta-analysis that quantitatively tests several biodiversity and
ecosystem functioning hypotheses. It then describes the natural
science foundations of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning
research including: quantifying functional diversity, the
development of the field into a predictive science, the effects of
stability and complexity, methods to quantify mechanisms by which
diversity affects functioning, the importance of trophic structure,
microbial ecology, and spatial dynamics. Finally, the book takes
research on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning further than it
has ever gone into the human dimension, describing the most
pressing environmental challenges that face humanity and the
effects of diversity on: climate change mitigation, restoration of
degraded habitats, managed ecosystems, pollination, disease, and
biological invasions.
However, what makes this volume truly unique are the chapters that
consider the economic perspective. These include a synthesis of the
economics of ecosystem services and biodiversity, and the options
open to policy-makers to address the failure of markets to account
for the loss of ecosystem services; an examination of the
challenges of valuing ecosystem services and, hence, to
understanding the human consequences of decisions that neglect
these services; and an examination of the ways in which economists
are currently incorporating biodiversity and ecosystem functioning
research into decision models for the conservation and management
of biodiversity. A final section describes new advances in
ecoinformatics that will help transform this field into a globally
predictive science, and summarizes the advancements and future
directions of the field. The ultimate conclusion is that
biodiversity is an essential element of any strategy for
sustainable development.
How will biodiversity loss affect ecosystem functioning, ecosystem
services, and human well-being?
In an age of accelerating biodiversity loss, this timely and
critical volume summarizes recent advances in
biodiversity-ecosystem functioning research and explores the
economics of biodiversity and ecosystem services. The book starts
by summarizing the development of the basic science and provides a
meta-analysis that quantitatively tests several biodiversity and
ecosystem functioning hypotheses. It then describes the natural
science foundations of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning
research including: quantifying functional diversity, the
development of the field into a predictive science, the effects of
stability and complexity, methods to quantify mechanisms by which
diversity affects functioning, the importance of trophic structure,
microbial ecology, and spatial dynamics. Finally, the book takes
research on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning further than it
has ever gone into the human dimension, describing the most
pressing environmental challenges that face humanity and the
effects of diversity on: climate change mitigation, restoration of
degraded habitats, managed ecosystems, pollination, disease, and
biological invasions.
However, what makes this volume truly unique are the chapters that
consider the economic perspective. These include a synthesis of the
economics of ecosystem services and biodiversity, and the options
open to policy-makers to address the failure of markets to account
for the loss of ecosystem services; an examination of the
challenges of valuing ecosystem services and, hence, to
understanding the human consequences of decisions that neglect
these services; and an examination of the ways in which economists
are currently incorporating biodiversity and ecosystem functioning
research into decision models for the conservation and management
of biodiversity. A final section describes new advances in
ecoinformatics that will help transform this field into a globally
predictive science, and summarizes the advancements and future
directions of the field. The ultimate conclusion is that
biodiversity is an essential element of any strategy for
sustainable development.
Determining the scientific relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning has now emerged as one of the most important challenges in ecological and environmental science. This book provides a timely synthesis and critical assessment in order to generate a consensus on the main issues involved and stimulate new perspectives for future research.
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