Download or read book Nature by Design written by Eric Higgs and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2003-04-25 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ecological restoration is the process of repairing human damage to ecosystems. It involves reintroducing missing plants and animals, rebuilding soils, eliminating hazardous substances, ripping up roads, and returning natural processes such as fire and flooding to places that thrive on their regular occurrence. Thousands of restoration projects take place in North America every year. In Nature by Design, Eric Higgs argues that profound philosophical and cultural shifts accompany these projects. He explores the ethical and philosophical bases of restoration and the question of what constitutes good ecological restoration. Higgs explains how and why the restoration movement came about, where it fits into the array of approaches to human relationships with the land, and how it might be used to secure a sustainable future. Some environmental philosophers and activists worry that restoration will dilute preservation and conservation efforts and lead to an even deeper technological attitude toward nature. They ask whether even well-conceived restoration projects are in fact just expressions of human will. Higgs prefaces his responses to such concerns by distinguishing among several types of ecological restoration. He also describes a growing gulf between professionals and amateurs. Higgs finds much merit in criticism about technological restoration projects, which can cause more damage than they undo. These projects often ignore the fact that changing one thing in a complex system can change the whole system. For restoration projects to be successful, Higgs argues, people at the community level must be engaged. These focal restorations bring communities together, helping volunteers develop a dedication to place and encouraging democracy.

Download or read book Biomimicry written by Janine M. Benyus and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2009-08-11 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Repackaged with a new afterword, this "valuable and entertaining" (New York Times Book Review) book explores how scientists are adapting nature's best ideas to solve tough 21st century problems. Biomimicry is rapidly transforming life on earth. Biomimics study nature's most successful ideas over the past 3.5 million years, and adapt them for human use. The results are revolutionizing how materials are invented and how we compute, heal ourselves, repair the environment, and feed the world. Janine Benyus takes readers into the lab and in the field with maverick thinkers as they: discover miracle drugs by watching what chimps eat when they're sick; learn how to create by watching spiders weave fibers; harness energy by examining how a leaf converts sunlight into fuel in trillionths of a second; and many more examples. Composed of stories of vision and invention, personalities and pipe dreams, Biomimicry is must reading for anyone interested in the shape of our future.

Download or read book Restoring Ecological Function by Mimicking Natural Processes written by Jacob Van Epen Katz and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chapter 1: Impending extinction of salmon, steelhead, and trout (Salmonidae) in California. California contains the southernmost native populations of most Pacific Coast salmon and trout, many of which appear to be rapidly headed toward extinction. A quantitative protocol was developed to determine conservation status of all salmonids native to the state. Results indicate that if present trends continue, 25 (78%) of the 32 taxa native to California will likely be extinct or extirpated within the next century, following the bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus), which was extirpated in the 1970s. California's salmonids are adapted to living in a topographically diverse region with a Mediterranean climate, characterized by extreme seasonal and inter-annual variability in streamflow. Consequently, California salmonids have evolved extraordinary life history diversity to persist in the face of stressful conditions that often approach physiological limits. The spatial distributions of California salmonids vary from wide-ranging anadromous forms to endemic inland forms persisting in only a few kilometers of stream. Eighty-one percent of anadromous taxa are threatened with extinction and 73% inland taxa are either threatened or already extinct. Although specific drivers of decline differ across species, major causes of decline are related to increasing competition with humans for water, human degradation of watersheds, and adverse effects of hatchery propagation. Climate change, interacting with the other causes of decline, is increasing the trajectory towards extinction for most populations. Bringing all of California's salmonid fishes back from the brink of extinction may not be possible. If there are bold changes to management policy, however, self-sustaining populations of many species may be possible due to their inherent ability to adapt to changing conditions. Chapter 2: Floodplain Farm Fields Provide Novel Rearing Habitat for Chinook Salmon. When inundated by floodwaters, river floodplains provide rich food resources and high quality habitat for many species of wildlife. Globally, many rivers have been leveed and floodplain wetlands drained, primarily for flood control and conversion to agriculture. In the Central Valley of California, USA, where less than 5% of floodplain wetland habitats remain, a critical conservation question is how farmlands located on floodplains can be managed to provide increased habitat benefit to fish and wildlife. In this study agricultural fields located on the Sacramento River floodplain were intentionally inundated after the autumn rice harvest to mimic natural floodplain inundation patterns and determine if they could provide shallow-water rearing habitat for imperiled Sacramento River fall-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). Approximately 10,000 juvenile fish were reared on two hectares for six weeks when fields were idle between fall harvest and spring planting. Growth rates of juvenile salmon (average 0.76 mm/day) reared in this surrogate floodplain habitat were among the most rapid ever documented in fresh water in California and survival was high (minimum estimated survival 57%). The apparent compatibility of crop production and fish and wildlife habitat on the same ground demonstrates the ecological and economic benefits of reconciling management of agricultural working landscapes with recovery of native species. Chapter 3: Managed Inundation of Agricultural Floodplains Produces Record Growth in Juvenile Chinook Salmon. Floodplains are important engines of seasonal productivity in river ecosystems. However, in North America and Europe over 90% of floodplains habitats are no longer hydrologically connected to rivers, representing a significant loss of riverine ecosystem food web productivity. Expanding inundated floodplain area increases the volume of the photic zone, the uppermost portion of the water column, where sunlight is converted to carbohydrates by phytoplankton. Greater extent of shallow floodplain augments overall food availability and provides important aquatic habitats for many species. For example, invertebrates are in greater abundance on floodplains than in adjacent river channels, enhancing foraging success of fish that gain access to these seasonally inundated aquatic habitats. Like many large river valleys globally, the Central Valley of California, USA, (encompassing the Sacramento and San Joaquin River watersheds) has lost the majority of its floodplain habitat, primarily to conversion to agriculture. However, remnant floodplains still exist and are managed as flood bypasses which function in the winter wet season as "pressure relief valves," allowing floodwaters to pass safely around vital infrastructure and urban areas. In the summer dry season, bypasses are actively farmed. Managed inundation of agricultural floodplains may offer a means of regaining some of the ecological benefits of floodplains for native fish and wildlife while continuing to support flood protection and production agriculture, thereby creating a landscape where native species and human uses can coexist. An example of such reconciliation is Yolo Bypass, a farmed floodway where two decades of managed winter inundation of post-harvest rice fields--in the agricultural off-season when farm fields are idle--creates wetland habitat for millions of waterfowl using the critically important Pacific Flyway. Recent studies have shown that managed inundation can also provide suitable floodplain foraging habitat for native fish species such as juvenile Chinook Salmon. In order to better understand how rice farming practices affect the quality of reconciled winter rearing habitat for juvenile fall run Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), we built and experimentally manipulated nine replicated two-acre rice fields. Fields shared a common layout and water source. Each was randomly assigned to one of three post-harvest farming options generally used in the Yolo Bypass; fallow, leaving standing rice stubble, or tilling to incorporate the stubble into the soil. Each field was stocked with approximately 4,500 juvenile salmon. Weekly sampling for water quality, invertebrate abundance and diversity, and fish growth and survival was conducted for 6 weeks, after which fields were drained and fish counted, measured

Download or read book MRGO Ecosystem Restoration Plan Feasibility Study written by United States. Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 916 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Linking Restoration and Ecological Succession written by Lawrence R. Walker and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-10-16 with total page 199 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This innovative book integrates practical information from restoration projects around the world with the latest developments in successional theory. It recognizes the critical roles of disturbance ecology, landscape ecology, ecological assembly, invasion biology, ecosystem health, and historical ecology in habitat restoration. It argues that restoration within a successional context will best utilize the lessons from each of these disciplines.

Download or read book Mark Twain National Forest N F Land and Resource Management Plan written by and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 556 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Revised Land and Resource Management Plan written by and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 590 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Handbook of Ecological Restoration written by Martin R. Perrow and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2002-09-05 with total page 634 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The two volumes of this handbook provide a comprehensive account of the emerging and vibrant science of the ecological restoration of both habitats and species. Ecological restoration aims to achieve complete structural and functional, self-maintaining biological integrity following disturbance. In practice, any theoretical model is modified by a number of economic, social and ecological constraints. Consequently, material that might be considered as rehabilitation, enhancement, reconstruction or re-creation is also included. Restoration in Practice provides details of state-of-the-art restoration practice in a range of biomes within terrestrial and aquatic (marine, coastal and freshwater) ecosystems. Policy and legislative issues on all continents are also outlined and discussed. The accompanying volume, Principles of Restoration defines the underlying principles of restoration ecology. The Handbook of Ecological Restoration will be an invaluable resource to anyone concerned with the restoration, rehabilitation, enhancement or creation of habitats in aquatic or terrestrial systems, throughout the world.

Download or read book Wasatch Cache National Forest N F Forest Plan Revision written by and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Mimicking Nature s Fire written by Stephen F. Arno and published by . This book was released on 2005-03-16 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Mimicking Nature's Fire, forest ecologists Stephen Arno and Carl Fiedler present practical solutions to the pervasive problem of deteriorating forest conditions in western North America.

Download or read book Encyclopedia of Inland Waters written by and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2009-01-13 with total page 2589 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Inland aquatic habitats occur world-wide at all scales from marshes, swamps and temporary puddles, to ponds, lakes and inland seas; from streams and creeks to rolling rivers. Vital for biological diversity, ecosystem function and as resources for human life, commerce and leisure, inland waters are a vital component of life on Earth. The Encyclopedia of Inland Waters describes and explains all the basic features of the subject, from water chemistry and physics, to the biology of aquatic creatures and the complex function and balance of aquatic ecosystems of varying size and complexity. Used and abused as an essential resource, it is vital that we understand and manage them as much as we appreciate and enjoy them. This extraordinary reference brings together the very best research to provide the basic and advanced information necessary for scientists to understand these ecosystems – and for water resource managers and consultants to manage and protect them for future generations. Encyclopedic reference to Limnology - a key core subject in ecology taught as a specialist course in universitiesOver 240 topic related articles cover the field Gene Likens is a renowned limnologist and conservationist, Emeritus Director of the Institute of Ecosystems Research, elected member of the American Philosophical Society and recipient of the 2001 National Medal of Science Subject Section Editors and authors include the very best research workers in the field

Download or read book Commencement Bay Restoration Plan written by and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 462 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Conservation Biological Control written by Pedro A. Barbosa and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 1998-06-26 with total page 420 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume is a comprehensive treatment of how the principles of ecology and conservation biology can be used to maximize biological control. Conservation Biological Control presents various means to modify or manipulate the environment to enhance the activities of natural enemies of pests. It establishes a conceptual link between ecology and the agricultural use of agents for biological control, and discusses both theoretical issues as well as practical management concerns. Certain to be interesting to ecologists and entomologists, this volume will also appeal to scientists, faculty, researchers and students interested in pest management, horticulture, plant sciences, and agriculture. Contains chapters by an international team of leading authorities Establishes a conceptual link between ecology and the agricultural use of agents for biological control Discusses both theoretical issues as well as practical management concerns Provides specific examples of how conservation principles are used to maximize the biological control of pests

Download or read book Ecosystem restoration and inland food fisheries in developing countries written by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2023-08-09 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The review presents the strong business case for inland food fisheries in developing countries to be either a co-benefit, or very often the main benefit, of ecosystem restoration. In view of the current state of inland water aquatic habitats the potential for restoration is high. Realizing this potential requires concerted action to overcome current challenges, foremost of which is the invisibility of inland fisheries in many policy arenas as well as technical and scientific fora. The drivers of ecosystem degradation, ecosystem services valuation frameworks and the main technical tools for implementing interventions are presented. Experiences in developed countries dominate the literature but are not necessarily applicable to developing country inland food fisheries. Local communities that have high dependency on inland fisheries and live in close association with inland water fisheries habitats not only provide much higher fisheries values but a management asset that is unavailable in developed countries and the mainstay of many successful restoration programmes. Ten case studies, representing effective restoration of food fisheries from local to basin scale are used to illustrate what can be achieved. The prospects of inland fisheries benefiting from, or contributing to, the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030) are good but upscaling the existing progress will require increased and sustained efforts to mainstream the values of inland fisheries including their co-benefits for biodiversity conservation.

Download or read book Foundations of Restoration Ecology written by Society for Ecological Restoration International and published by Island Press. This book was released on 2016-11 with total page 580 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Society for Ecological Restoration"--Cover.

Download or read book Federal Register written by and published by . This book was released on 2012-03 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Helena National Forest N F Clancy Unionville Vegetation Manipulation and Travel Management Project written by and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 778 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: