This volume incorporates case studies that explore past and current land use decisions on both public and private lands, and includes practical approaches and tools for land use decision-making. The most important feature of the book is the linking of ecological theory and principle with applied land use decision-making. The theoretical and empirical are joined through concrete case studies of actual land use decision-making processes.
This volume is the first in a series entitled Conservation Ecology: Principles, Practices and Management, a theme which Elsevier's pioneer ing journal Biological Conservation has promoted since its foundation thirty-three years ago. The science of conservation ecology is now widely acknowledged as an essential component in the planning and develop ment of activities which change or modify our natural environment. Nevertheless in spite of much research and publicity, there is still a wide gap between theory and practice. Today it is especially important to try to bridge this gap by interpreting the results of ecological research so that they are understandable and relevant to a wide range of land managers, agriculturalists, foresters, and those working in the many categories of protected areas. The volumes in this series are designed to fulfil this purpose, and also to play an important educational role for students of the environmental sciences in schools, universities and other institutions.
Restoring Ecological Health to Your Land is the first practical guidebook to give restorationists and would-be restorationists with little or no scientific training or background the “how to” information and knowledge they need to plan and implement ecological restoration activities. The book sets forth a step-by-step process for developing, implementing, monitoring, and refining on-the-ground restoration projects that is applicable to a wide range of landscapes and ecosystems. The first part of the book introduces the process of ecological restoration in simple, easily understood language through specific examples drawn from the authors’ experience restoring their own lands in southern and central Wisconsin. It offers systematic, step-by-step strategies along with inspiration and benchmark experiences. The book’s second half shows how that same “thinking” and “doing” can be applied to North America’s major ecosystems and landscapes in any condition or scale. No other ecological restoration book leads by example and first-hand experience likethis one. The authors encourage readers to champion restoration of ecosystems close to where they live . . . at home, on farms and ranches, in parks and preserves. It provides an essential bridge for people from all walks of life and all levels of experience—from land trust member property stewards to agency personnel responsible for restoring lands in their care—and represents a unique and important contribution to the literature on restoration.
This groundbreaking work explains key ecological concepts and their application to the design and management of sustainable landscapes. It covers topics from biogeography and plant selection to global change. Beck draws on real world cases where professionals have put ecological principles to use in the built landscape.
The second volume of this series, Integrating Ecology into Global Poverty Reduction Efforts: Opportunities and solutions, builds upon the first volume, Integrating Ecology into Global Poverty Reduction Efforts: The ecological dimensions to poverty, by exploring the way in which ecological science and tools can be applied to address major development challenges associated with rural poverty. In volume 2, we explore how ecological principles and practices can be integrated, conceptually and practically, into social, economic, and political norms and processes to positively influence poverty and the environment upon which humans depend. Specifically, these chapters explore how ecological science, approaches and considerations can be leveraged to enhance the positive impacts of education, gender relations, demographics, markets and governance on poverty reduction. As the final chapter on “The future and evolving role of ecological science” points out, sustainable development must be build upon an ecological foundation if it is to be realized. The chapters in this volume illustrate how traditional paradigms and forces guiding development can be steered along more sustainable trajectories by utilizing ecological science to inform project planning, policy development, market development and decision making.
This introductory textbook to wildlife habitat ecology and management offers students and practitioners the basic tools to understand, plan, implement, measure, analyze, and document efforts to improve habitat for wildlife. Providing a step-by-step guide that is adaptable to a range of environmental settings, the authors first lay out the ecological principles applicable to any project. They then take the reader through various sampling designs, measurement techniques, and analytical methods required to develop and complete a habitat project, including the creation of a report or management plan. The authors emphasize key management concepts and provide exercises putting ecological principles into practice. Case studies identify emerging issues that are changing and complicating wildlife habitat management. These include large-scale ecological concerns and their social and political challenges—global climate change, the decline in water quality and availability, loss and fragmentation of habitat, broadening invasive species and diseases, increased human-wildlife conflicts, and urbanization. This practical guide is an invaluable reference for students, land managers, and landowners who are developing and implementing management plans for habitat modification and improvement on both private and public lands.
This book explores novel theories, strategies and methods for re-naturing cities. It enables readers to learn from best practice and advances the current theoretical and empirical understanding in the field. The book also offers valuable insights into how planners and policymakers can apply this knowledge to their own cities and regions, exploring top-down, bottom-up and mixed mechanisms for the systemic re-naturing of planned and existing cities. There is considerable interest in ‘naturalising’ cities, since it can help address multiple global societal challenges and generate various benefits, such as the enhancement of health and well-being, sustainable urbanisation, ecosystems and their services, and resilience to climate change. This can also translate into tangible economic benefits in terms of preventing health hazards, positively affecting health-related expenditure, new job opportunities (i.e. urban farming) and the regeneration of urban areas. There is, thus, a compelling case to investigate integrative approaches to urban and natural systems that can help cities address the social, economic and environmental needs of a growing population. How can we plan with nature? What are the models and approaches that can be used to develop more sustainable cities that provide high-quality urban green spaces?
