Infectious disease outbreaks result in mortality or morbidity of many humans and wild and domestic animals and plants. Many a time that leads to large-scale economic and socio-cultural losses. However, exposure to pathogens does not always lead to infections or the spread of diseases since diverse factors are involved in the manifestation of diseases. The infectious organisms that cause diseases and the host are a part of the multidimensional biodiversity and a quintessential part of the ecological web. Hence, a manifestation of an infectious disease is through a chain of events that favor high contact of the pathogenic species with the host species, directly or indirectly, or through intermediate hosts/vectors. This context makes it important to recognize that preservation of natural habitats possibly has a direct bearing on public health since habitats with high biological diversity have the potential for checks and balances of population growth and could curtail disease transmission and the manifestation of diseases in many a case. Besides, diverse and heterogeneous (and largely anthropogenic) issues such as rapid urbanization, sprawling inroads into natural habitats, increasing human-animal conflicts, decreasing environmental quality, languid waste disposal systems, rising contamination/pollution of the natural systems, increasingly unwholesome lifestyle, etc. makes the condition much more complex. This book addresses human diseases from a wider and holistic perspective, especially looking at morbidity from an ecological viewpoint. It also looks at infections from an evolutionary perspective. These perspectives, although known, are largely neglected in healthcare systems in vogue. Such a perspective would be an eye-opener for the healthcare providers, and the public at the receiving end of the increasingly expensive healthcare services.

This book offers a unique collection of inter- and multidisciplinary studies on river systems. Rivers have been the prime source of sustenance since the advent of civilization and river systems often form the basis for agriculture, transport, water, and land for domestic, commercial, and industrial activities, fostering economic prosperity. A river basin is a basic geographical and climatological unit within which the vagaries of natural processes act and manifest themselves at different spatio-temporal scales. Even if compared side-by-side, no two river basins respond to natural processes in the same way and thus, it has long been recognized that each river basin is unique. Hence, any developmental activity or conservation effort has to be designed and implemented to match each unique river basin. With the burgeoning population and increasing dependency on natural resources, understanding and maintaining river systems has become increasingly important. This book provides a varied reference work on and unprecedented guidelines for conducting and implementing research on river basins, and for managing their ecological development.

This book offers a unique collection of inter- and multidisciplinary studies on river systems. Rivers have been the prime source of sustenance since the advent of civilization and river systems often form the basis for agriculture, transport, water, and land for domestic, commercial, and industrial activities, fostering economic prosperity. A river basin is a basic geographical and climatological unit within which the vagaries of natural processes act and manifest themselves at different spatio-temporal scales. Even if compared side-by-side, no two river basins respond to natural processes in the same way and thus, it has long been recognized that each river basin is unique. Hence, any developmental activity or conservation effort has to be designed and implemented to match each unique river basin. With the burgeoning population and increasing dependency on natural resources, understanding and maintaining river systems has become increasingly important. This book provides a varied reference work on and unprecedented guidelines for conducting and implementing research on river basins, and for managing their ecological development.