The earth's landscapes are being increasingly impacted by the activities of man. Unfortunately, we do not have a full understanding of the consequences of these disturbances on the earth's productive capacity. This problem was addressed by a group of French and U.S. ecologists who are specialists at levels of integration extending from genetics to the biosphere at a meeting at Stanford, California, sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. With a few important exceptions it was found at this meeting that most man-induced disturbances of ecosystems can be viewed as large scale patterns of disturbances that have occurred, generally on a small scale, in ecosystems through evolutionary time. Man has induced dramatic large-scale changes in the environment which must be viewed at the biosphere level. Acid deposition and CO increase are two 2 examples of the consequences of man's increased utilization of fossil fuels. It is a matter of considerable concern that we cannot yet fully predict the ecological consequences of these environmental changes. Such problems must be addressed at the international level, yet substantive mechanisms to do this are not available."

Landscape pattern is generated by a variety of processes, including disturbances. In turn, the heterogeneity of the landscape may enhance or retard the spread of disturbance. The complex relationship between landscape pattern and disturbance is the subject of this book. It is designed to present an illustrative analysis of the topic, presenting the perspectives of several different disciplines. The book includes conceptual considerations, empirical studies, and management examples. Important features include: hypotheses about the spread of disturbance and the effects of scale changes in landscape studies; the multidisciplinary approach; and the explicit focus on the landscape level. The intended audience comprises graduate students, academics, and professionals interested in landscape ecology. The reader will receive a state-of-the-art treatment of a current topic in landscape ecology.

"Landscape Ecology" is an emerging science of gaining momentum over the past few decades in the scientific as well as in the planning-management worlds. Although the field is rooted in biology and geography, the approaches to understanding the ecology of a landscape are highly divers. This hybrid vigor provides power to the field. One can no longer view a local ecosystem or land use in isolation from global areas and time frames. The surrounding landscape mosaic and the flows and movements in a landscape must be considered, especially the linkage between humans requiring resources provided by nature, the constraints on their use as well as the responding landscape.

This volume applies ecological principles and guidelines to understand past and current land use and land management; and more importantly, endeavors to promote more ecologically sound approaches to future land use and management decisions. The volume incorporates case studies from a wide variety of disciplines and perspectives. The case studies explore past and current land use decisions, on both public and private lands, and include practical approaches and tools for land-use decision-making. Perhaps the most important feature of the book is the linking of ecological theory and principle with applied land use decision-making - the theoretical and empirical are joined through concrete case studies of actual land use decision-making processes. In this volume, readers will find a statement of fundamental ecological principles that are relevant for land use planning and management, coupled with multiple in-depth explorations of the application of these principles in action. In addition, most case studies describe specific tools and approaches for incorporating endeavors to join fundamental ecological knowledge with cutting edge application in order to both educate and provide concrete guidance for decision-making. The intended audience is broad and multidisciplinary, from undergraduate and graduate level courses in environmental studies to professional land use planners. "Read this and Discover. Wisdom lies in these pages, a scarce and powerful attribute." from the Foreword by Richard Foreman.

This volume applies ecological principles and guidelines to understand past and current land use and land management; and more importantly, endeavors to promote more ecologically sound approaches to future land use and management decisions. The volume incorporates case studies from a wide variety of disciplines and perspectives. The case studies explore past and current land use decisions, on both public and private lands, and include practical approaches and tools for land-use decision-making. Perhaps the most important feature of the book is the linking of ecological theory and principle with applied land use decision-making - the theoretical and empirical are joined through concrete case studies of actual land use decision-making processes. In this volume, readers will find a statement of fundamental ecological principles that are relevant for land use planning and management, coupled with multiple in-depth explorations of the application of these principles in action. In addition, most case studies describe specific tools and approaches for incorporating endeavors to join fundamental ecological knowledge with cutting edge application in order to both educate and provide concrete guidance for decision-making. The intended audience is broad and multidisciplinary, from undergraduate and graduate level courses in environmental studies to professional land use planners. "Read this and Discover. Wisdom lies in these pages, a scarce and powerful attribute." from the Foreword by Richard Foreman.

This important new work--the first of its kind--focuses on the distribution patterns of landscape elements or ecosystems; the flows of animals, plants, energy, mineral nutrients and water; and the ecological changes in the landscape over time. Includes over 1,200 references from current ecology, geography, forestry, and wildlife biologcy literature.