Download or read book Natural Environment and Culture in the Mediterranean Region II written by Ibrahim Atalay and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2011-05-25 with total page 540 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Mediterranean Basin is the largest of the five Mediterranean-climate regions, and one of the largest archipelagos in the world. The basin is located at the intersection of two major landmasses, Eurasia and Africa; and has around five thousand islands, which contribute much to its high diversity and spectacular scenery. It possesses higher salinity than the Atlantic. The shores are chiefly mountainous. Earthquakes and volcanic disturbances are frequent. Some of the most ancient civilizations flourished around the region. Carthagians, Greeks, Sicilians, and Romans were rivals for dominance of its shores and trade. The basin virtually became a Roman lake under the Roman Empire. Later, the region was dominated by the Byzantines and the Arabs. The development of the northern regions of Africa and of oil fields in the Middle East has increased its trade. The flora is dramatic with over 20 thousand endemic vascular plant taxa, and many endemic species of animals. Fish (about 400 species), sponges, and corals are plentiful. The touristic activities are threatening populations of many species. The fragmentation and isolation is increasing due to resort development and infrastructure. The overuse of the sea's natural and marine resources continues to be a problem.The Mediterranean monk-seal, the barbary macaque and the Iberian lynx, which is Critically Endangered, are among the region’s imperiled species.

Download or read book Natural Environment and Culture in the Mediterranean Region written by Georges Cravins and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2009-05-05 with total page 530 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The largest of the world's five Mediterranean-climate regions and one of the largest archipelagos in the world, the Mediterranean Basin is located at the intersection of two major landmasses, Eurasia and Africa, which contributes to its cultural and high biodiversity. Although much of the hotspot was once covered by a dense cover of forests, the Basin has experienced intensive human development and impact on its ecosystems for at least 8000 years, significantly longer than any other hotspot. The greatest impacts have been deforestation, habitat fragmentation, intensive grazing and fires, and infrastructure development, especially on the coast, which have distinctly altered the landscape. The agricultural lands, evergreen woodlands and maquis habitats dominating the basin are the result of these disturbances over several millennia. Many of the endemic species are narrow endemics, being confined to very small areas, and thus are extremely vulnerable to the anthropogenic pressures. Probably more species have gone extinct here than in any other hotspot. At present approximately 300 million people live here and water shortages and desertification will be the serious problems in the near future. Tourism is placing a significant pressure on the coastal ecosystems. The construction of infrastructure and the direct impacts of people using and trampling sensitive dune ecosystems remains a key threat to coastal areas. In view of the valuable natural heritage there is a great need for weighing our ecological impact in order to achieve a balance between biodiversity conservation and human development and above all, how to maintain traditional rural livelihoods in a way that benefits biodiversity. The changes in the atmosphere, geomorphological processes, and most natural cycles involving a biomass of any substantial size denote the arrival of a new geological period the "Anthropocene". We the humans are actively changing the overall conditions of our existence by terraforming the earth, changing the overall patterns of basic life systems in the process of remaking our specific contexts, not least to supposedly secure our modes of life. This book is thus synthesizing knowledge from many disciplines to throw some light on the unpredictability of forthcoming changes.

Download or read book Natural Environment and Culture in the Mediterranean Region II written by Recep Efe and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Mediterranean Basin is the largest of the five Mediterranean-climate regions, and one of the largest archipelagos in the world. The basin is located at the intersection of two major landmasses, Eurasia and Africa; and has around five thousand islands, which contribute much to its high diversity and spectacular scenery. It possesses higher salinity than the Atlantic. The shores are chiefly mountainous. Earthquakes and volcanic disturbances are frequent. Some of the most ancient civilizations flourished around the region. Carthagians, Greeks, Sicilians, and Romans were rivals for dominance of its shores and trade. The basin virtually became a Roman lake under the Roman Empire. Later, the region was dominated by the Byzantines and the Arabs. The development of the northern regions of Africa and of oil fields in the Middle East has increased its trade. The flora is dramatic with over 20 thousand endemic vascular plant taxa, and many endemic species of animals. Fish (about 400 species), sponges, and corals are plentiful. The touristic activities are threatening populations of many species. The fragmentation and isolation is increasing due to resort development and infrastructure. The overuse of the sea's natural and marine resources continues to be a problem.The Mediterranean monk-seal, the barbary macaque and the Iberian lynx, which is Critically Endangered, are among the regionâ (TM)s imperiled species.

Download or read book Mediterranean Island Landscapes written by Ioannis N. Vogiatzakis and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-02-26 with total page 397 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mediterranean islands exhibit many similarities in their biotic ecological, physical and environmental characteristics. There are also many differences in terms of their human colonization and current anthropogenic pressures. This book addresses in three sections these characteristics and examines the major environmental changes that the islands experienced during the Quaternary period. The first section provides details on natural and cultural factors which have shaped island landscapes. It describes the environmental and cultural changes of the Holocene and their effects on biota, as well as on the current human pressures that are now threats to the sustainability of the island communities. The second section focuses on the landscapes of the largest islands namely Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, Cyprus, Crete, Malta and the Balearics. Each island chapter includes a special topic reflecting a particular characteristic of the island. Part three presents strategies for action towards sustainability in Mediterranean islands and concludes with a comparison between the largest islands. Despite several published books on Mediterranean ecosystems/landscapes there is no existing book dealing with Mediterranean islands in a collective manner. Students, researchers and university lecturers in environmental science, geography, biology and ecology will find this work invaluable as a cross-disciplinary text while planners and politicians will welcome the succinct summaries as background material to planning decisions.

Download or read book The Mediterranean region under climate change written by Collectif and published by IRD Éditions. This book was released on 2018-11-19 with total page 736 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book has been published by Allenvi (French National Alliance for Environmental Research) to coincide with the 22nd Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP22) in Marrakesh. It is the outcome of work by academic researchers on both sides of the Mediterranean and provides a remarkable scientific review of the mechanisms of climate change and its impacts on the environment, the economy, health and Mediterranean societies. It will also be valuable in developing responses that draw on “scientific evidence” to address the issues of adaptation, resource conservation, solutions and risk prevention. Reflecting the full complexity of the Mediterranean environment, the book is a major scientific contribution to the climate issue, where various scientific considerations converge to break down the boundaries between disciplines.

Download or read book Tourism Environment and Ecology in the Mediterranean Region written by Recep Efe and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2014-09-26 with total page 470 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As humans we have stewardship over the environment. Man’s dominion does not mean a license to abuse, spoil, squander or destroy. Future cultures will be able to reach their potential only if this generation remembers that sustainable land use is a combination of economics, ecology and social justice. Our ancestors survived due to an innate sense of “oneness” whereby they helped each other. For them everything was “holy”. Sustaining desired ecological, economic, and social conditions in the system is a big challenge, but not an impossible task. This book presents chapters by scientists from different disciplines from the Mediterranean Basin and its environs. It presents updated information and highlights the way forward for the fields of economy, environment and ecology, making this book a very useful source for people working in these different disciplines. Contributions have been prepared by experts in these respective fields. The book also brings to the fore important future tasks for these particular disciplines, and provides up-to-date references, tables and figures illustrating research findings. As such, this volume is a must-read for students, researchers and professionals in environmental sciences, ecology, forestry, geography and other related fields.

Download or read book Climate Change Impacts on High Altitude Ecosystems written by Münir Öztürk and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-05-05 with total page 696 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book covers studies on the systematics of plant taxa and will include general vegetational aspects and ecological characteristics of plant life at altitudes above 1000 m. from different parts of the world. This volume also addresses how upcoming climate change scenarios will impact high altitude plant life. It presents case studies from the most important mountainous areas like the Himalayas, Caucasus and South America covering the countries like Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Kirghizia, Georgia, Russia,Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Americas. The book will serve as an invaluable resource source undergraduates, graduate students, and researchers.

Download or read book Sabkha Ecosystems written by M. Ajmal Khan and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-05-12 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sustainable development is the key for the survival in 21st century. The natural resources are finite and cannot be used with impunity because we are the custodian of these resources and have responsibility to pass these to the next generation. This monumental task requires several major commitments and most important of them is to arrest population explosion which has already reached seven billion. Natural resources like air to breath, food to eat, and water to drink, and fossil fuel to maintain this life style are being overexploited. Unrestrained consuming culture will accelerate undesired situation. This situation will have more dire consequences in resource limited ecosystems like dry lands. Given the severe scarcity of water, ever increasing population and soil salinization out of the box solutions for the provision of food and clean energy is required to spare meager fresh water resources for conventional agriculture. This volume contains a number of articles dealing with halophyte ecology, bio-geography, ecophysiology, hyper-saline soils, biofuels, biosaline agriculture, biosaline landscaping, climate change mitigation, and biodiversity. It also contains the communication of innovative ideas, such as the research into floating mangroves, seagrass terraces, as well as a World Halophyte Garden containing all known salt-tolerant plant species. It is hoped that the information provided will not only advance vegetation science, but that it will truly generate more interdisciplinarity, networking, awareness, and inspire farmers, and agricultural and landscaping stakeholders to seriously engage in halophyte cash crop production in coastal hyper-saline areas.

Download or read book Climate and Environmental Change in the Mediterranean Basin Current Situation and Risks for the Future First Mediterranean Assessment Report written by Mediterranean Experts on Climate and environmental Change (MedECC) and published by MedECC. This book was released on 2020-11-17 with total page 632 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The First Mediterranean Assessment Report (MAR1) prepared by the independent network of Mediterranean Experts on Climate and environmental Change (MedECC) founded in 2015 was published in November 2020. MAR1 assesses the best available scientific knowledge on climate and environmental change and associated risks in the Mediterranean Basin in order to render it accessible to policymakers, stakeholders and citizens. The report has been written by 190 scientists from 25 countries, all contributing in individual capacity and without financial compensation. The report includes a Summary for Policymakers (SPM), which comprises the key messages of the MAR1. The UNEP/MAP – Barcelona Convention Secretariat, through its Plan Bleu Regional Activity Center, and the Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean work in partnership to support MedECC, and to contribute to establish a sound and transparent scientific assessment process.

Download or read book Coastal Water Bodies written by Felicita Scapini and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2010-04-20 with total page 177 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Addressing the links between science and the real world with a sound scientific baseline, Coastal Water Bodies targets researchers of various disciplines whose interest lies in the integrated sustainable management of coastal water bodies. The main topic of this book is not the ecology according to its accepted meaning, but rather the ‘places and people’ concerned – the coastal zones of the Mediterranean that are rich in ecological value and the local people who survive thanks to these environmental resources. Integration is the joint consideration of different aspects of water uses and values, and new ways of understanding and managing conflicts around water use are needed if people are to benefit from integration. Sustainability of the ecological and socioeconomic environments requires a climate in which conflicts, if they need to exist, are properly managed in a non-destructive manner.

Download or read book Sustainable Goat Production in Adverse Environments Volume I written by João Simões and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-01-11 with total page 547 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the current trends and challenges of sustainable goat meat and milk production in different global contexts, providing valuable insights into this industry in adverse environments like mountain, semiarid and arid regions. It also includes contributions from international experts discussing goat reproduction, genetic diversity and improvement, as well topics such as animal health, welfare, socioeconomic aspects, and many other issues regarding the environmentally friendly and economically viable exploitation of goats. This is a highly informative book providing scientific insight for readers with an interest in sustainable agriculture and socio-economic aspects, as well as goat breed conservation, genetic diversity, and veterinary care. These subjects are complemented in a second volume providing a detailed description of more than 40 indigenous goat breeds and several ecotypes found in Asia, Africa, Europe, and America.

Download or read book Sustainable Mediterranean Construction Sustainable Environment in the Mediterranean Region from Housing to Urban and Land Scale Construction written by Paola De Joanna and published by FrancoAngeli. This book was released on 2012 with total page 616 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Proceedings of the Twenty second Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation written by Jeffrey Aleksandr Seminoff and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Sustainable Tourism Practices in the Mediterranean written by Ipek Kalemci Tüzün and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-07-19 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sustainable Tourism Practices in the Mediterranean showcases and examines the current and future trends in sustainable tourism in this popular region where tourism is one of the leading determinants of economic development. This volume examines the effects of specific recent events including terrorism, financial crises and various political changes in the Mediterranean region. Looking at a range of destinations, island and mainland, urban and rural, summer and winter and emergent and declining zones, it provides a comprehensive overview of this area. It also draws on a number of wide-ranging themes such as gastronomy, (corporate) social responsibility, entrepreneurship, ethical issues, service quality, health and the slow city, offering an insightful study of the challenges the Mediterranean region faces and the sustainable practices that can be implemented in order to overcome them. Written by leading academics in the field, this book will be of great interest to upper-level students, researchers and academics in Tourism, Development Studies and Geography.

Download or read book The Mediterranean Sea written by Stefano Goffredo and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-09-09 with total page 673 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume is an indispensable addition to the multidisciplinary coverage of the science of the Mediterranean Sea. The editors have gathered leading authorities from the fields of Marine Biology, Ecology, paleoclimatology, Chemical and Physical Oceanography, Zoology, Botany, Aquatic Photosynthesis, Socioeconomics, Mariculture, Mediterranean History and Science of Humanity. Beginning with the birth of the Mediterranean Sea and its myths. From coral to fish, an introduction is given to its major inhabitants of plants and animals past and present. The chapters illustrate how organisms interact as part of the structure and function of the Sea's main ecosystems. The rise of the Mediterranean as the cradle of the Western Civilization leads to a discourse on the status of human interaction with the sea. Accelerating global climate change, water warming, ocean acidification and sea level rise, and analyses of their effects on key organisms, entire ecosystems and human socioeconomics are given. Forecasting and predictions are presented taking into account different future scenarios from the IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change). The volume is richly illustrated in color, with an extensive bibliography. A valuable addition to the limited literature in the field, offering up-to-date broad coverage merging science and humanities.​

Download or read book The Convergence of Civilizations written by Emanuel Adler and published by University of Toronto Press. This book was released on 2006-12-15 with total page 409 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recent efforts by the United States and its allies to promote democracy, security, and stability in the Middle East owe much to the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EMP) – also known as the Barcelona Process – an important region-building plan in the Mediterranean region since 1995. The Convergence of Civilizations represents the output of an innovative and much needed collaborative project focused on the EMP. Editors Emanuel Adler, Beverly Crawford, Federica Bicchi, and Rafaella A. Del Sarto have set out to show that regional security and stability may be achieved through a cultural approach based on the concept of regional identity construction, and aim to take stock of the EMP in relation to this goal. The contributors to this collection focus on the obstacles Mediterranean region construction faces due to post 9/11 regional and global events, the difficulties of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, tensions between the EU and the US over Iraq, and the expected consequences of EU enlargement. They also seek to bring the EMP and region-making practices to the attention of American scholars in order to promote a more fertile academic exchange. Ultimately, the contributors demonstrate that the EMP and related region-making practices, while failing so far to promote the development of a Mediterranean regional identity and to achieve regional stability, suggest nonetheless a viable model for regional partnership and cooperation, and thus, for preventing a 'clash of civilizations' in the long haul. The Convergence of Civilizations will be an important tool for meeting the current global challenges being faced by nation-states as well as those in the future.

Download or read book Environment and Ecology in the Mediterranean Region written by Recep Efe and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2012-03-15 with total page 455 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Mediterranean Basin with its mountainous shores, high biodiversity and spectacular scenery is located at the intersection of Africa and Eurasia. Through the 8000 years of human development in this area, there have been tremendous changes in its history and biogeography. Approximately 300 million people live here today. Although the evergreen maquis, vineyards, olive plantations and natural woodlands cover the lands all over the basin, it is facing severe destruction of habitats due to deforestation, intensive grazing, fires, and in particular, a severe coastal degradation due to infrastructure development, which is changing the landscape. Both the historical heritage and geography of the land is facing a great threat due to urbanisation and fragmentation. Time has come for its inhabitants to weigh their impact on its ecogeography in order to save the biodiversity as well as the history of the basin. This book synthesises the knowledge from different disciplines so as to increase awareness among the humans in the basin.