Download or read book Costa Rican Ecosystems written by Maarten Kappelle and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2016-04-15 with total page 798 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1502, Christopher Columbus named Costa Rica, and while gold and silver never materialized to justify the moniker of rich coast in purely economic terms, scientists and ecotravelers alike have long appreciated its incredible wealth. Wealth in Costa Rica is best measured by its biodiversityhome to a dizzying number of plants and animals, many endemic, it s a country that has long encouraged and welcomed researchers from the world over, and is exemplary in the creation and commitment to indigenous conservation and management programs. Costa Rica is considered to have the best preserved natural resources in Latin America. Approximately nine percent (about 1,000,000 acres) of Costa Rica has been protected in 15 national parks, and a comparable amount of land is protected as wildlife refuges, forest reserves or Indian reservations. This long-awaited synthesis of Costa Rican ecosystems is an authoritative presentation of the paleoecology, biogeography, structure, conservation, and sustainable use of Costa Rica s ecosystems. It systematically covers the entire range of Costa Rica s natural and managed, terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems, including its island systems (Cocos Islands), the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and shores (coasts, coral reefs, mangrove forests), its lowlands (dry, season and wet forests), its highlands (the northern volcanoes and southern Talamanca s), and its estuaries, rivers, lakes, swamps and bogs. The volume s integrated, comprehensive format will be welcomed by tropical and temperate biologists alike, by biogeographers, plant and animal ecologists, marine biologists, conservation biologists, foresters, policy-makers and all scientists, natural history specialists and all with an interest in Costa Rica s ecosystems."
Download or read book Land Use and Land Cover Change written by Eric F. Lambin and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-01-08 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents recent estimates on the rate of change of major land classes. Aggregated globally, multiple impacts of local land changes are shown to significantly affect central aspects of Earth System functioning. The book offers innovative developments and applications in the fields of modeling and scenario construction. Conclusions are also drawn about the most pressing implications for the design of appropriate intervention policies.
Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Environmental and Conservation Psychology written by Susan D. Clayton and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2012-10-18 with total page 722 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First handbook to integrate environmental psychology and conservation psychology.
Download or read book The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity Ecological and Economic Foundations written by Pushpam Kumar and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012-12-20 with total page 455 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Human well-being relies critically on ecosystem services provided by nature. Examples include water and air quality regulation, nutrient cycling and decomposition, plant pollination and flood control, all of which are dependent on biodiversity. They are predominantly public goods with limited or no markets and do not command any price in the conventional economic system, so their loss is often not detected and continues unaddressed and unabated. This in turn not only impacts human well-being, but also seriously undermines the sustainability of the economic system. It is against this background that TEEB: The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity project was set up in 2007 and led by the United Nations Environment Programme to provide a comprehensive global assessment of economic aspects of these issues. This book, written by a team of international experts, represents the scientific state of the art, providing a comprehensive assessment of the fundamental ecological and economic principles of measuring and valuing ecosystem services and biodiversity, and showing how these can be mainstreamed into public policies. This volume and subsequent TEEB outputs will provide the authoritative knowledge and guidance to drive forward the biodiversity conservation agenda for the next decade.
Download or read book Nature s Contributions to People On the Relation Between Valuations and Actions written by Marie Stenseke and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2021-08-26 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Individual and Structural Determinants of Environmental Practice written by Anders Biel and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2003 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During recent years, there has been a growing awareness that a better understanding of human activities and the behavioural components of environmental problems is needed. This volume brings together psychologists, philosophers, sociologists, historians of technology and economics, and management experts to identify and examine the rules and motives that govern the environmental behaviour of individuals, households, organizations and society as a whole. Illustrated with case studies from Scandinavia, it shows how behaviours with negative or positive environmental effects are often performed without such consequences in mind. The book discusses how change towards positive environmental behaviour often conflicts with deep-rooted habits as well as exploring the importance for environmental practice of different everyday contexts. By presenting this multi-disciplinary analysis, the volume provides a comprehensive understanding of how behavioural change in relation to the environment can come about and how this can be integrated in the political framework.
Download or read book Geomorphology and Volcanology of Costa Rica written by Jean Pierre Bergoeing and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2017-03-01 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Geomorphology and Volcanology of Costa Rica is the product of more than 30 years of research explaining the evolution of the quaternary relief of a geomorphologically diverse country. The book details the physical landscape of Costa Rica, with an emphasis on potential threats to the landscape, such as earthquakes, landslides, floods, and sea level rise. The book answers questions on the climate changes associated with the intense volcanism that affects this country. Geomorphologists, geologists, geographers, and students who specialize in the Earth Sciences will benefit from knowing the geomorphology of Costa Rica, not only as a case study, but also for the lessons it offers on climate change and worldwide geological history. Includes graphs, maps, and photos that illustrate the most relevant phenomena Provides detailed description of the different regions of the country, each with its own tectonic and modeling characteristics Offers a detailed presentation of the geomorphological characteristics of Costa Rica
Download or read book Estuarine Ecology written by John W. Day, Jr. and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2012-11-19 with total page 576 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Estuaries are among the most biologically productive ecosystems on the planet--critical to the life cycles of fish, other aquatic animals, and the creatures which feed on them. Estuarine Ecology, Second Edition, covers the physical and chemical aspects of estuaries, the biology and ecology of key organisms, the flow of organic matter through estuaries, and human interactions, such as the environmental impact of fisheries on estuaries and the effects of global climate change on these important ecosystems. Authored by a team of world experts from the estuarine science community, this long-awaited, full-color edition includes new chapters covering phytoplankton, seagrasses, coastal marshes, mangroves, benthic algae, Integrated Coastal Zone Management techniques, and the effects of global climate change. It also features an entriely new section on estuarine ecosystem processes, trophic webs, ecosystem metabolism, and the interactions between estuaries and other ecosystems such as wetlands and marshes
Download or read book Marine and Coastal Protected Areas written by Rodney V. Salm and published by IUCN. This book was released on 2000 with total page 406 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a new edition of the classic textbook on marine protected area (MPA) management in the tropics, originally produced as an output of the Bali World Parks Congress in 1982. Approaches to planning and managing MPAs have evolved considerably. Major advances include innovative financing mechanisms, partnerships with the private sector and NGOs, and collaborative management between government and coastal communities. These advances have brought new approaches for MPA establishment and management that are more participatory, involving communities through interaction and collaboration rather than prescription. With new case studies and illustrations, the guide comes in a water-resistant cover for field use. It is intended for those who plan individual and/or national MPA systems and gives philosophical context for MPAs along with some basic principles and approaches.
Download or read book Quantifying Sustainable Development written by Carlos Leon Perez and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2000 with total page 800 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: CD-ROM contains: Data sets and programs -- Color images -- Animated models -- Photographic tour of Costa Rica.
Download or read book Chemistry and Biogeochemistry of Estuaries written by Eric Olausson and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 1980 with total page 472 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is intended as a monograph for a wide range of scientists in environmental sciences. The focus is placed on the chemistry and biogeochemistry of estuaries but outlines are also given of human and physical factors, biotic transport, and the biological processes necessary for a better understanding of the management of estuaries. Particular attention is paid to the distribution of chlorinated hydrocarbons, oil pollution problems, and the recovery capacity and decontamination of estuaries.
Download or read book Our Earth s Changing Land A K written by Helmut Geist and published by Greenwood Publishing Group. This book was released on 2006 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scientists predict that the environment over the next 100 years will be threatened by severe challenges--the loss of biodiversity, expected changes in world-wide climate, and decreasing amounts of arable land and potable water for an exploding human population. All of these will greatly impact how the earth will be able to support life in the future. And at the center of these global environmental changes are developments in land use. Over the last 300 years, and in particular the last 50 years, the earth's land has been altered drastically as a result of increasing industrialization and urbanization worldwide, as well as by changes in agricultural techniques in lands under cultivation. These developments raise troubling questions about out future: How will these changes affect the sustainability of certain types of land use? How will they impinge upon critical regions, like rainforests and deserts? Will the earth be able to provide for the basic human needs of food, shelter, and water?
Download or read book Estuarine Shores written by Karl F. Nordstrom and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 520 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An estuary refers to the portion of a river that meets the sea. This book describes and discusses the processes that create and shape the physical and biological environments on estuarine shorelines. It identifies the current state of knowledge and explores trends in research that may be applied to the solution of scientific and management problems.
Download or read book Essentials of Oceanography written by Alan P. Trujillo and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 534 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Now updated to be more student-oriented, this textbook offers an insightful, ecologically sensitive presentation of the relationship of scientific principles to ocean phenomena.
Download or read book Critical Political Ecology written by Timothy Forsyth and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2004-11-23 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Critical Political Ecology brings political debate to the science of ecology. As political controversies multiply over the science underlying environmental debates, there is an increasing need to understand the relationship between environmental science and politics. In this timely and wide-ranging volume, Tim Forsyth uses an innovative approach to apply political analysis to ecology, and demonstrates how more politicised approaches to science can be used in environmental decision-making. Critical Political Ecology examines: *how social and political factors frame environmental science, and how science in turn shapes politics *how new thinking in philosophy and sociology of science can provide fresh insights into the biophysical causes and impacts of environmental problems *how policy and decision-makers can acknowledge the political influences on science and achieve more effective public participation and governance.
Download or read book Ecology and Conservation of Neotropical Montane Oak Forests written by Maarten Kappelle and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2006-05-18 with total page 488 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Covers the range of natural and managed oak forests in the highlands of tropical America. Providing an understanding of ecological patterns and processes that determine the structure and functioning of these forests, this volume aims to serve as a basis for sustainable forest management and biodiversity conservation.
Download or read book Marine Biodiversity of Costa Rica Central America written by Ingo S. Wehrtmann and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-12-28 with total page 545 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Life began in the sea, and even today most of the deep diversity of the planet is marine. This is often forgotten, especially in tropical countries like Costa Rica, renowned for their rain forests and the multitude of life forms found therein. Thus this book focusing on marine diversity of Costa Rica is particularly welcome. How many marine species are there in Costa Rica? The authors report a total of 6,777 species, or 3. 5% of the world’s total. Yet the vast majority of marine species have yet to be formally described. Recent estimates of the numbers of species on coral reefs range from 1–9 million, so that the true number of marine species in Costa Rica is certainly far higher. In some groups the numbers are likely to be vastly higher because to date they have been so little studied. Only one species of nematode is reported, despite the fact that it has been said that nematodes are the most diverse of all marine groups. In better studied groups such as mollusks and crustaceans, reported numbers are in the thousands, but even in these groups many species remain to be described. Indeed the task of describing marine species is daunting – if there really are about 9 million marine species and Costa Rica has 3. 5% of them, then the total number would be over 300,000. Clearly, so much remains to be done that new approaches are needed. Genetic methods have en- mous promise in this regard.
