Global warming and human-driven impacts are changing the World's ecological zones. This book applies the principles described in Bailey's Ecosystem Geography: From Ecoregions to Sites, 2nd ed. (Springer 2009, 1st ed. 1996) to describe and characterize the major terrestrial and aquatic ecological zones of the Earth. Bailey's system for classifying these zones has been adopted by major organizations such as the U.S. Forest Service and The Nature Conservancy and this book is a significant contribution to a long tradition of classifying and studying the world's ecological regions or ecoregions. It includes two color maps that show the major ecoregions of the continents and oceans. Also included are: - 106 illustrations with 55 in full color - A new chapter on mountains is included. - There are new sections that address concerns about how eco regions are changing under the relentless influence of humans and climate change - Another new feature is the discussion of using eco regional patterns to transfer research results and select sites for detecting climate change effects on ecosystem distribution - Use of ecoregional patterns to design monitoring networks and sustainable landscapes - Fire regimes in different regional ecosystems and their management implications.

This book completes Robert G. Bailey's celebrated study of ecoregions, begun in the landmark Ecosystem Geography (1996) and further articulated in Ecoregions (1998). In this third installment, the author expands his system for defining large-scale ecological zones to encompass principles of land management, regional planning, and design. In an engaging, non-technical discussion, he shows how larger patterns and processes that characterize a region-its climate, topography, soils, vegetation, fauna, and human culture-provide essential keys to the sustainability of ecosystems. Regional Landscape Ecology and Sustainable Design will be welcomed by land and resource managers, landscape architects and urban planners, ecologists, students, and anyone interested in ecology-based design. Robert G. Bailey is a geographer with the United States Forest Service in Fort Collins, Colorado.

This richly illustrated volume completes Robert G. Bailey's celebrated study of ecoregions, begun in the landmark Ecosystem Geography (1996) and further articulated in Ecoregions (1998). In this third installment, the author expands his system for defining large-scale ecological zones to encompass principles of land management, regional planning, and design. In an engaging, nontechnical discussion, he shows how larger patterns and processes that characterize a region--its climate, topography, soils, vegetation, fauna, and human culture--provide essential keys to the sustainability of ecosystems. Ecoregion-Based Design for Sustainability will be welcomed by land and resource managers, landscape architects and urban planners, ecologists, students, and anyone interested in ecology-based design. "Bob Bailey [is] the man behind the ecosystem mapping of the world." -Lingua Franca Reviews of Ecoregions: "The book provides easy access to the geographic distribution, characteristics, and processes operating behind every major ecosystem in the world." -Geoscience Canada "Ecoregions offers an invaluable source of description, interpretation and analysis of global patterns of ecosystem distribution and successfully provides the reader with a means of making sense of these patterns." -Geography Robert G. Bailey is a geographer with the United States Forest Service in Fort Collins, Colorado. Formerly the leader of the agency's Ecosystem Management Analysis Center, he is currently in charge of ecoregion studies at the Inventory and Monitoring Institute.