Download or read book Life in the Balance written by Niles Eldredge and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2000-02-20 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Life in the Balance, Niles Eldredge argues that the Earth is confronting an ecological disaster in the making. He reviews compelling evidence for this "biodiversity crisis", showing that species are dying out at an unnaturally rapid rate. This book explores the same themes that illuminate the American Museum of Natural History's new Hall of Biodiversity, for which Eldredge is Scientific Curator. An eloquent and passionate account by one of today's leading scientists, Life in the Balance draws attention to one of the most pressing problems now facing the world. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.
Download or read book Biodiversity written by Oscar Grillo and published by BoD – Books on Demand. This book was released on 2014-05-14 with total page 382 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The current world biodiversity consists of an inestimable amount of living forms, that at all levels, from genes to biomes, from individuals to populations, from species to communities, are in constant pursuit of the best strategies to react to the natural and anthropic environmental changes. The arrangement of new and dynamic ecosystems balanced by the formation and the vanishing of species, is the direct consequence of these changes. This book contains comprehensive overviews and original studies focused on ecological and ecosystem functioning studies, hazards and conservation management, assessment of environmental variables affecting species diversity, also considering species richness and distribution, in order to identify the best management strategies to face and solve the conservation problems.
Download or read book The Balance of Nature and Human Impact written by Klaus Rohde and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2013-02-14 with total page 431 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explores equilibrium and non-equilibrium in undisturbed and disturbed ecological systems, examining how human activities affect the balance/imbalance of nature.
Download or read book Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function written by Ernst-Detlef Schulze and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 527 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The biota of the earth is being altered at an unprecedented rate. We are witnessing wholesale exchanges of organisms among geographic areas that were once totally biologically isolated. We are seeing massive changes in landscape use that are creating even more abundant succes sional patches, reductions in population sizes, and in the worst cases, losses of species. There are many reasons for concern about these trends. One is that we unfortunately do not know in detail the conse quences of these massive alterations in terms of how the biosphere as a whole operates or even, for that matter, the functioning of localized ecosystems. We do know that the biosphere interacts strongly with the atmospheric composition, contributing to potential climate change. We also know that changes in vegetative cover greatly influence the hydrology and biochemistry ofa site or region. Our knowledge is weak in important details, however. How are the many services that ecosystems provide to humanity altered by modifications of ecosystem composition? Stated in another way, what is the role of individual species in ecosystem function? We are observing the selective as well as wholesale alteration in the composition of ecosystems. Do these alterations matter in respect to how ecosystems operate and provide services? This book represents the initial probing of this central ques tion. It will be followed by other volumes in this series examining in depth the functional role of biodiversity in various ecosystems of the world.
Download or read book Biodiversity in the Balance written by Raffaello Cervigni and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2001 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What are the best land use combinations to meet the social and economic needs of developing nations without jeopardising the ability of natural systems to deliver their life-support functions? Based on theoretical analysis and original case study material, this book attempts to answer this question by studying the interactions between economic forces which can lead to land use changes and the subsequent loss of biodiversity. Raffaello Cervigni examines the policy options and management practices that may counteract these losses and encourage the development of sustainable land use and biodiversity conservation. Biodiversity in the Balance summarises the scientific and economic debate and highlights disagreements about the definitions of biodiversity management objectives. The author goes on to develop an original analytical treatment of the incremental cost financing mechanisms adopted by the Convention on Biological Diversity. Significantly, he undertakes a microeconomic study of land use change in a biosphere reserve in South-East Mexico. Based on an original data set, the author presents a detailed modelling exercise of resource and land use choices at the individual farm level with related projections of the impact at both community and regional levels. Techniques used include multi-period linear programming and dynamic stock-flow simulation. The book concludes by addressing policy implications and options for future research. This book will be of interest to graduate students, researchers and professionals in a variety of disciplines including economics, natural resource studies, social studies, geography and land planning. The book will also be of value to the large environmental NGO community.
Download or read book Biodiversity in the Balance written by Pam Berry and published by Andersen Press (UK). This book was released on 2009 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climate change and biodiversity loss are both pressing global problems. Efforts are being made to address the former through various mitigation and adaptation activities, but these may have consequences for biodiversity which are not identified or acknowledged. This book reviews how mitigation and adaptation measures in eight key areas: agriculture, forestry, energy, built environment, river and coastal flood management, health, tourism and leisure and conservation, identifying how they may impact positively or negatively on biodiversity. It also recognises the interactions which can occur between them and which may be neutral, synergistic or involve trade-offs. It shown how, by including biodiversity in mitigation and adaptation, co-benefits can be achieved and thus identifies cost-effective approaches to tackling climate change and biodiversity loss. This book will be of interest to researches in climate change adaptation and mitigation, biodiversity and conservation, as well as policymakers involved in formulating adaptation and mitigation strategies and stakeholders engaged in their implementation.
Download or read book Conserving Biodiversity written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1992-02-01 with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The loss of the earth's biological diversity is widely recognized as a critical environmental problem. That loss is most severe in developing countries, where the conditions of human existence are most difficult. Conserving Biodiversity presents an agenda for research that can provide information to formulate policy and design conservation programs in the Third World. The book includes discussions of research needs in the biological sciences as well as economics and anthropology, areas of critical importance to conservation and sustainable development. Although specifically directed toward development agencies, non-governmental organizations, and decisionmakers in developing nations, this volume should be of interest to all who are involved in the conservation of biological diversity.
Download or read book Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning written by Michel Loreau and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2002 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Increasing domination of ecosystems by humans is steadily transforming them into depauperate systems. How will this loss of biodiversity affect the functioning and stability of natural and managed ecosystems? This work provides comprehensive coverage of empirical and theoretical research.
Download or read book Conservation Biogeography written by Richard J. Ladle and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-01-11 with total page 379 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: CONSERVATION BIOGEOGRAPHY The Earth’s ecosystems are in the midst of an unprecedented period of change as a result of human action. Many habitats have been completely destroyed or divided into tiny fragments, others have been transformed through the introduction of new species, or the extinction of native plants and animals, while anthropogenic climate change now threatens to completely redraw the geographic map of life on this planet. The urgent need to understand and prescribe solutions to this complicated and interlinked set of pressing conservation issues has lead to the transformation of the venerable academic discipline of biogeography – the study of the geographic distribution of animals and plants. The newly emerged sub-discipline of conservation biogeography uses the conceptual tools and methods of biogeography to address real world conservation problems and to provide predictions about the fate of key species and ecosystems over the next century. This book provides the first comprehensive review of the field in a series of closely interlinked chapters addressing the central issues within this exciting and important subject.
Download or read book Biodiversity and Health in the Face of Climate Change written by Melissa R. Marselle and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-06-11 with total page 494 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This open access book identifies and discusses biodiversity’s contribution to physical, mental and spiritual health and wellbeing. Furthermore, the book identifies the implications of this relationship for nature conservation, public health, landscape architecture and urban planning – and considers the opportunities of nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation. This transdisciplinary book will attract a wide audience interested in biodiversity, ecology, resource management, public health, psychology, urban planning, and landscape architecture. The emphasis is on multiple human health benefits from biodiversity - in particular with respect to the increasing challenge of climate change. This makes the book unique to other books that focus either on biodiversity and physical health or natural environments and mental wellbeing. The book is written as a definitive ‘go-to’ book for those who are new to the field of biodiversity and health.
Download or read book Biodiversity Conservation and Utilization in a Diverse World written by Gbolagade Akeem Lameed and published by BoD – Books on Demand. This book was released on 2012-08-29 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book "Biodiversity Conservation and Utilization in a Diverse World" sees biodiversity as management and utilization of resources in satisfying human needs in multi-sectional areas including agriculture, forestry, fisheries, wildlife and other exhaustible and inexhaustible resources. Its value is to fulfill actual human preferences and variability of life is measured by amount of genetic variation available. In viewing diversity as an ultimate moral value, one is faced with a situation in environmental preservation in order to allow components of total diversity to flourish and constitute a threat to continuous existence and decrease total diversity. The overall importance described economic benefits from bio-diversity, though difficult to measure and varying, but are limited on a local scale, increase on a regional or national scale and become potentially substantial on a transnational or global scale.
Download or read book Perspectives on Biodiversity written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1999-10-01 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Resource-management decisions, especially in the area of protecting and maintaining biodiversity, are usually incremental, limited in time by the ability to forecast conditions and human needs, and the result of tradeoffs between conservation and other management goals. The individual decisions may not have a major effect but can have a cumulative major effect. Perspectives on Biodiversity reviews current understanding of the value of biodiversity and the methods that are useful in assessing that value in particular circumstances. It recommends and details a list of components-including diversity of species, genetic variability within and among species, distribution of species across the ecosystem, the aesthetic satisfaction derived from diversity, and the duty to preserve and protect biodiversity. The book also recommends that more information about the role of biodiversity in sustaining natural resources be gathered and summarized in ways useful to managers. Acknowledging that decisions about biodiversity are necessarily qualitative and change over time because of the nonmarket nature of so many of the values, the committee recommends periodic reviews of management decisions.
Download or read book Current State and Future Impacts of Climate Change on Biodiversity written by Rathoure, Ashok Kumar and published by IGI Global. This book was released on 2019-11-29 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Understanding the balance of society and nature is imperative when researching ecosystems and their global influence. A method of studying the health of these ecosystems is biodiversity. The more diverse the species that live in an ecosystem, the healthier it is. As the climate continues to transform, small-scale ecosystems are affected, altering their diversity. Environmentalists need a book of research that studies the specific impacts of climate change and how it affects the future of the environment. Current State and Future Impacts of Climate Change on Biodiversity is a pivotal reference source that provides vital research on biological systems and how climate change influences their health. While highlighting topics such as genetic diversity, economic valuation, and climatic conditions, this publication explores the effects of climate change as well as the methods of sustainable management within ecosystems. This book is ideally designed for environmental scientists, environmental professionals, scientists, ecologists, conservationists, government officials, policymakers, agriculturalists, environmentalists, zoologists, botanists, entomologists, urban planners, researchers, scholars, and students seeking research on current and future developments of various ecosystems.
Download or read book Biodiversity in Environmental Assessment written by Roel Slootweg and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2010 with total page 456 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First of its kind and unique in its blend of theoretical and practical approaches for mainstreaming biodiversity in impact assessment.
Download or read book Nature in the Balance written by Dieter Helm and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2014-01-16 with total page 437 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book sets out the building blocks of an economic approach to biodiversity, and in particular brings together conceptual and empirical work on valuation, international agreements, the policy instruments, and the institutions. The objective is to provide a comprehensive overview of the issues and evidence, and to suggest how this very urgent problem should be addressed. Whilst there has been an enormous growth and research focus on climate change, less attention has been paid to biodiversity. This collection of high-quality chapters addresses the economic issues involved in biodiversity protection. This book focuses on the economics, but incorporates the underpinning science and philosophy, combining the application of a number of theoretical ideas with a series of policy cases. The authors are drawn from leading scholars in their specific areas of economics, philosophy, and conservation biology.
Download or read book Biodiversity Enrichment in a Diverse World written by Gbolagade Akeem Lameed and published by BoD – Books on Demand. This book was released on 2012-08-29 with total page 522 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book - Biodiversity Enrichment in a Diverse World - considered biodiversity (plants, animals, fungi, and microbes) from three different angles: genetics, species, and ecosystems. The relationships between them are complex and it looks at these aspects from different angles and also various interventions at different levels. The scientific approach of the book demonstrates that the three levels are closely inter-connected and action is therefore needed to conserve and protect the systems if the benefits provided to human life will continue to be available. However, conservation of the biological diversity is essentially an umbrella term for traditional species, relationship to human health, ecosystem conservation and the need to manage the human use of the species and ecosystems in a sustainable way.
Download or read book Urban Biodiversity written by Alessandro Ossola and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-11-28 with total page 471 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Urban biodiversity is an increasingly popular topic among researchers. Worldwide, thousands of research projects are unravelling how urbanisation impacts the biodiversity of cities and towns, as well as its benefits for people and the environment through ecosystem services. Exciting scientific discoveries are made on a daily basis. However, researchers often lack time and opportunity to communicate these findings to the community and those in charge of managing, planning and designing for urban biodiversity. On the other hand, urban practitioners frequently ask researchers for more comprehensible information and actionable tools to guide their actions. This book is designed to fill this cultural and communicative gap by discussing a selection of topics related to urban biodiversity, as well as its benefits for people and the urban environment. It provides an interdisciplinary overview of scientifically grounded knowledge vital for current and future practitioners in charge of urban biodiversity management, its conservation and integration into urban planning. Topics covered include pests and invasive species, rewilding habitats, the contribution of a diverse urban agriculture to food production, implications for human well-being, and how to engage the public with urban conservation strategies. For the first time, world-leading researchers from five continents convene to offer a global interdisciplinary perspective on urban biodiversity narrated with a simple but rigorous language. This book synthesizes research at a level suitable for both students and professionals working in nature conservation and urban planning and management.
