Biodiversity / Ecosystems Books

Book SynopsisIn the great tradition of Darwin''s Voyage of the Beagle, this book is a first-person narrative of daunting travel and scientific discovery in the little-known country of Myanmar. Dr. Kress explored many areas in this enigmatic country, surveying its teak forests, bamboo thickets, timber plantations, rivers, and mangroves to document its incredible botanical diversity. Myanmar is one of the great biodiversity hot spots in Asia, but because of its social isolation and reputation for political repression it has been closed to - or avoided by - many scientists. Nevertheless, Dr. Kress was determined to search for and record plants that had not been studied since they were first discovered by Western botanists over a century ago. Among the rarities he came upon was a new species of plant called the weeping goldsmith, a ginger flower whose Burmese name was derived from the legend that the local goldsmiths were reduced to tears because none of their own creations could rival its exquisiteness. Dr. Kress also relates how he came to appreciate the people and culture of Myanmar through an understanding of their flora, natural habitats, and human-dominated environments. Included are fascinating excerpts from his field journals that serve as counterpoints to the accounts of earlier plant explorers. Illustrating the text are some 200 of Dr. Kress''s own colour photographs of the incredible plants, people, landscapes, and temples he witnessed in his travels as well as 30 archival images of Burma taken by past explorers. The back matter features an illustrated portfolio of representative native plants. This lively armchair exploration should appeal to a general readership as well as to botanists, conservationists, and environmentalists.Trade ReviewPraise for The Weeping Goldsmith: - A Booklist Top 10 Science & Technology Book of 2009 "A fascinating memoir...engagingly written and beautifully illustrated. Highly Recommended" - ChoiceTable of ContentsTable of Contents from: The Weeping Goldsmith Prologue 1. The Weeping Goldsmith 2. Waiting in Rangoon 3. Ancient Cities and Sacred Mountains 4. The Arrival of the Monsoon 5. Across Two Rivers 6. Buddhas Garden 7. The Choir of Cicadas 8. Paradise in Maymyo 9. Up the Chindwin River 10. Dust, Jade, and Prostitutes 11. The Arakan Capital at Mrauk U: Through Bamboo Hell 12. Buddhist Reverence and Respect Help Protect the Forests 13. Mt. Victoria: Walking in the Steps of a Giant 14. Why the Goldsmith Weeps Epilogue Acknowledgements Endnotes Bibliography

Read more less

Book SynopsisIntroducing readers to the ecology and beauty of valuable natural resources, this book provides a field guide to wetland plants, soils, and animals. Including detailed descriptions and illustrations of more than 300 plants and 200 animals, it focuses on the northeastern and north-central regions of the United States.Trade ReviewTiner, a noted wetlands ecologist, has an evident affection for swamps, marshes, and bogs. In this readable yet comprehensive book, he proves to be an enthusiastic guide to all aspects of the wetland environment. In the first section, he gives a narrative description of wetland formation, function, and value. In addition to in-depth explanations of wetland science, Tiner offers the reader a view of ancillary sciences such as hydrology and archaeology. He concludes here with a chapter on the status of wetlands, reviewing trends in their destruction and protection. In the second half of the book he presents an identification guide with descriptions and line drawings of wetland plants and animals. He also includes a chapter on hydric soils, the swampy and soggy ground underlying all wetlands. Recommended as a good introduction to wetland ecology for academic and larger public libraries. —Randy Dykhuis, Michigan Library Consortium, Lansing * Library Journal *Ralph Tiner transforms 'wastelands' into national treasures. His book provides an accessible introduction to wetland ecology and management for students, the public, and wetland scientists. -- Aram JK Calhoun * associate professor of wetland ecology, University of Maine *Table of ContentsContents List of Illustrations an Tables Preface Acknowledgements Part I: Wetland Primer 1 Swampland, Marshland, Wetland 2 Water, the Lifeblood of Swampland 3 The Birth and Growth of Swampland 4 Swamp Earth 5 Swamp Plants 6 Swamp Things 7 Swampland at Work 8 Swampland Now and Then 9 Swampland--Wasteland or Watery Wealth Part II: Wetland Identification Guide 10 Recognizing Wetland Plants 11 Interpreting Hydric Soils 12 Identifying Wetland Wildlife 13 Finding Wetlands and Their Boundaries 14 Typing and Evaluating Wetlands Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C

Read more less

Book SynopsisThree quarters of the U.S.âs bird and plant extinctions have occurred in Hawaiâi, and one third of the countryâs threatened and endangered birds and plants reside within the state. Yet despite these alarming statistics, all is not lost: There are still 12,000 extant species unique to the archipelago and new species are discovered every year. In Restoring Paradise: Rethinking and Rebuilding Nature in Hawaiâi, Robert Cabin shows why current attempts to preserve Hawaiâiâs native fauna and flora require embracing the emerging paradigm of ecological restorationâthe science and art of assisting the recovery of degraded species and ecosystems and creating more meaningful and sustainable relationships between people and nature. Cabinâs extensive experience as a research ecologist and applied practitioner enables him to provide a rare, behind-the-scenes look at successful and inspiring restoration programs. In Part 1 he recounts Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refugeâs efforts to restore thous

Read more less

Book SynopsisForest Certification examines the historical roots of forest certification, the factors that guide the development of protocols, the players involved, the factors determining the customers to be certified, and the benefits of certification. It covers terminology and issues that direct the structure of standards, the similarities between indicatorsTable of Contents"

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book examines the challenges faced by farmers trying to maintain crop biodiversity in developing and transitional economies. Using a collection of empirical case studies of farmers and crop scientists across a range of agricultural economies and income levels, it presents economic tools and methods for valuing and managing crop biodiversity. It discusses the economic benefits of crop biodiversity for farmers and suggests ways in which crop biodiversity can be supported by national policies. The book provides an indispensable 'tool kit' for all those concerned with the development of strategies to facilitate sustainable management and conservation of crop genetic diversity for future generations.Table of ContentsI: Preface, J von Braun and E Frison Part I: Introduction 1: Concepts, Metrics, and Plan of the Book, M Smale Part II: Private Value: Stated Preferences of Farmers 2: Crop valuation and farmer response to change: Implications for in situ conservation of maize in Mexico, G Dyer, CIECO, Mexico 3: Farmer demand for agricultural biodiversity in Hungary's transition economy: A Choice experiment approach , E Birol and A Kontoleon, University of Cambridge, UK, and M Smale 4: Demand for attributes and on farm conservation of coffee in Ethiopia, E Wale, Alemaya University, Ethiopia and J Mburu, University of Bonn, Germany Part III: Private Value: Revealed Preferences of Farmers 5: Missing markets, migration and crop biodiversity in the Mexican milpa system: A household farm model, M E Van Dusen, Berkeley, California, USA 6: Determinants of cereal diversity on household farms in the highlands of northern Ethiopia, S Benin, IFPRI, Uganda, M Smale and J Pender, IFPRI, Washington DC, USA 7: Demand for cultivar attributes and the biodiversity of bananas in Uganda , S Edmeades, IFPRI, Washington DC, USA, M Smale, and D Karamura, INIBAP, Uganda 8: Farmer management of agricultural biodiversity in Hungary's transition economy, E Birol, M Smale and Á Gyovai, Institute for Agrobotany, Hungary 9: Rural development and the diversity of potatoes on farms in Cajamarca, Peru, P Winters, American University, USA, L H Hintze, Inter-American Development Bank, USA, and O Ortiz, International Potato Center, Peru Part IV: Public Values, Villages and Institutions 10: Managing rice biodiversity on farms: The choices of farmers and breeders in Nepal, D Gauchan, Nepal Agricultural Research Council, Nepal, M Smale, N Maxted and M Cole, University of Birmingham, UK 11: Determinants of cereal diversity in villages of Northern Ethiopia, B Gebremedhin, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Ethiopia, M Smale and J Pender 12: Social institutions and seed systems: the diversity of fruits and nuts in Uzbekistan, E Van Dusen, E Dennis, Indiana University, USA, M Lee, J Ilyasov, S Treshkin IPGRI-CWANA, Uzbekistan, and M Smale 13: Village seed systems and the biological diversity of millet crops in southern India, L Nagarajan, IFPRI, Washington DC, USA, and M Smale 14: Seeds supply and on farm demand for diversity: a case study of Eastern Ethiopia , L Lipper, R Cavatassi, FAO, Rome, Italy and P Winters 15: Institutions, stakeholders, and the management of crop genetic sources on Hungarian family farms, G Bela, B Balázs, Institute of Environmental and Landscape Management, Hungary, and G Pataki, St Istvan University, Hungary 16: Cooperatives, wheat diversity and crop productivity in southern Italy, S Di Falco, IFPRI, Washington DC, USA and C Perrings, University of York, UK Part V: Conclusions 17: Scope, limitations and future directions, M Smale, L Lipper and P Koundouri, University of Reading, UK 18: An annotated bibliography of published literature about the economics of conserving crop biological diversity on farms, P Zambrano, IFPRI, Washington DC, USA, and M Smale

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Cabeceras Cofanes-Chingual is one of the last intact mountainous regions in Ecuador. In October 2008 scientists from Ecuador, Peru, and the US conducted a rapid biological inventory and a social inventory to assess the region's suitability for protection as a municipal reserve. This book offers full and abstracted results of the fieldwork.

Read more less

Book SynopsisUsers Guide to Ecohydraulic Modelling and Experimentation has been compiled by the interdisciplinary team of expert ecologists, geomorphologists, sedimentologists, hydraulicists and engineers involved in HYDRALAB IV, the European Integrated Infrastructure Initiative on hydraulic experimentation which forms part of the European Communityâs Seventh Framework Programme. It is designed to give an overview of our current knowledge of organism-environment interactions in marine and freshwater aquatic systems and to provide guidance to those wishing to use hydraulic experimental facilities to explore ecohydraulic processes. By highlighting the current state of our knowledge, this design manual will act as a guide to the use of living organisms in physical models and experiments and help scientists and engineers understand limitations on the use of surrogates. It incorporates chapters on the general decisions that need to be taken when designing an ecohydraulic experiment as well aTable of ContentsIntroduction. Section 1: Methods, Materials and Measurement. Husbandry. Surrogates. Flow Measurement. Section 2: Organism Specific Considerations. Biofilms. Plants. Macrozoobenthos. Conclusions and Decision Matrix.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book is a compilation of detailed and latest knowledge on the various types of environmental pollutants released from various natural as well as anthropogenic sources, their toxicological effects in environments, humans, animals and plants as well as various bioremediation approaches for their safe disposal into the environments. In this book, an extensive focus has been made on the various types of environmental pollutants discharged from various sources, their toxicological effects in environments, humans, animals and plants as well as their biodegradation and bioremediation approaches for environmental cleanup.Table of ContentsBioremediation: An eco-sustainable Green Technology, it’s Aplications and Limitations. Role of Microbes in Management of Solid Wastes. Role of Constructed Wetlands in Treatment of Industrial Wastewaters. Role of Rhizobacteria in Phytoremediation of Metal Contaminated Sites. Uranium Radionuclides Contamination in Environments, its Ecotoxicological Effects, Health Hazards and Bioremediation. Plastic Wastes: Environmental Pollution, Health Hazards and its Management. Pesticides Contamination in Environments, their Toxicological effects and biodegradation and bioremediation mechanisms for environmental safety. Toxic metals contamination in environments, their toxicological effects and bioremediation approaches for environmental cleanup. Dyes contamination in environments, their Ecotoxicological effects and Health Hazards and Biodegradation and Bioremediation Mechanisms for Environmental Cleanup. Bioremediation of Metal Pollutants from Electroplating Industry Wastewater. Organic and Inorganic Pollutants in Industrial Wastes, their Ecotoxicological Effects and Health Hazards and Bioremediation Approaches. Pharmacological Implications of Tannery Wastewater Pollutants and their Bioremediation. Role of Methanotrophic Bacterial Community in Lindane Degradation at Contaminated sites. Microbial Cellulases and their Applications in Pulp and Paper Industry: An Emerging Paradigm. Bioremediation of Non-Aqueous Phase Liquids (NAPLS) Polluted Soil and Water Resources. Strategies for Enhanced Bioremediation of Organo-metallic Pollutants. Role of Nano-structured Manganese Oxides in Remediation of Environmental Pollutants. Biomedical Waste: Environmental Threats and its Management

Read more less

Book Synopsis What with evolution and extinction, food chains and keystone species, rewilding and regeneration, the modern landscape of biodiversity is a vital place to explore. But how are you expected to navigate the science and significance of this complex world? Navigating Biodiversity provides you with the map you need to start exploring seriously big ideas. A wealth of provocative questions prompt ‘short cut’ answers written by experts in their field, with each one the setting-off point for instructions to help you plot your path through the biosphere. With ‘one-stop’ graphics visualizing a memorable study or idea for each topic, and ‘route map’ glossaries explaining key terms and their connections, Navigating Biodiversity is your expert guide to understanding the biology, history, taxonomy and extraordinary diversity of life on Earth; and what is being done to confront the many threats that it faces.

Read more less