The chapters making up this volume are not just a collection of parts which were more or less on the same topic and happened to be available for cobbling together. Instead, they were written especially for it. We had before us from the beginning the goal of creating a synthesis of interest to students of environmental adaptation, but adaptation broadly construed, and to one of the world's difficult environments-the boreal forest. This is anthropology-but not anthropology of the old school. A word of explanation may be in order. Ecologists and those in traditional biological sci ences may find some of what follows to be familiar in format and in intellectual approach. Others of our perspectives may feel less comfortable and in fact may seem to be refugees from scholarship more of the sort pursued by historians. All that is quite true and rather nicely reflects the dualities and potential of anthropology as a discipline. We have always drawn strength from the arts as well as the sciences. We have more recently tried to identify biological templates for human behavior, and to understand the reciprocal impact of behavior on the human organism. Anthropology is a discipline, part art and part science, which is at once historical, behavioral, societal, and biological. No species has left a clearer path through time than has ours, and none has made its way through such a diversity of challenging environments. Determining how humanity has managed to do that is our goal.
A unique look at the boreal forest, Earth’s vast and vital wilderness. The boreal forest, the planet’s largest land biome, spans the northern regions like “a scarf around the neck of the world.” Besides providing homes for many species, the forest’s influence is far-reaching: its trees and wetlands clean our air and water and are helping slow global climate change. In this evocative tour, a lyrical fictional narrative is paired with informational sidebars that describe life in the forest throughout the year, from one country to another. One of the world’s most magnificent regions comes to vivid life through the art of storytelling.
Readers will learn about the three major forest biomes, which are temperate, boreal, and rain forests. The text will focus on the climate, plants, and animals that are found in forests around the world. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Abdo Kids is a division of ABDO.
The problems related to the process of industrialisation such as biodiversity depletion, climate change and a worsening of health and living conditions, especially but not only in developing countries, intensify. Therefore, there is an increasing need to search for integrated solutions to make development more sustainable. The United Nations has acknowledged the problem and approved the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. On 1st January 2016, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the Agenda officially came into force. These goals cover the three dimensions of sustainable development: economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection. The Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals comprehensively addresses the SDGs in an integrated way. It encompasses 17 volumes, each one devoted to one of the 17 SDGs. This volume addresses SDG 15, namely "Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss" and contains the description of a range of terms, which allow a better understanding and foster knowledge. Concretely, the defined targets are: Ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements Promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally Combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world Ensure the conservation of mountain ecosystems, including their biodiversity, in order to enhance their capacity to provide benefits that are essential for sustainable development Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species Promote fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and promote appropriate access to such resources, as internationally agreed Take urgent action to end poaching and trafficking of protected species of flora and fauna and address both demand and supply of illegal wildlife products Introduce measures to prevent the introduction and significantly Reduce the impact of invasive alien species on land and water ecosystems and control or eradicate the priority species Integrate ecosystem and biodiversity values into national and local planning, development processes, poverty reduction strategies and accounts Mobilize and significantly increase financial resources from all sources to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity and ecosystems Mobilize significant resources from all sources and at all levels to finance sustainable forest management and provide adequate incentives to developing countries to advance such management, including for conservation and reforestation Enhance global support for efforts to combat poaching and trafficking of protected species, including by increasing the capacity of local communities to pursue sustainable livelihood opportunities Editorial Board Alexandra Aragão, Desalegn Yayeh Ayal, Ayansina Ayanlade, Anabela Marisa Azul, Adriana Consorte-McCrea, Muhammad Farooq, Ana Catarina Luz, María P. Martín, Sharif A. Mukul, Nandhivarman Muthu, Robert Russell Monteith Paterson, Isabel Ruiz-Mallén
The Boreal Ecosystem presents an overview of the state of knowledge on the boreal forest region of North America, with extensive reference to the boreal regions of Europe and Asia. Initial sections of this book deal with aspects of the floristic composition and evolutionary history of the boreal vegetation. These introduce subsequent discussions on the processes at work in vegetation, soils, and the atmosphere—in short, with the boreal forest as an ecosystem, the sum total of the influences of many closely interlaced biotic and physical factors. These include not only plant species that make up the visible vegetation but also nutrients, soil, temperature, rainfall, progression of the seasons, soil microflora, arthropods, insects, and larger animals such as marten, otter, beaver, moose, caribou, bear, and wolf, and man. All are closely linked strands in the web of life, a web apart from, yet dependent on and influencing, the raw physical environment. This book should serve as an introduction and reference source to its audience: undergraduate and graduate students in the biological and ecological disciplines, research workers in these fields as well as in related areas such as soil science, agronomy, genetics, and climatology; in short, everyone with an interest in boreal ecology.
Based on the conference "Fire in northern circumpolar ecosystems" held at the University of New Brunswick in 1979. Examines the role of fire in the functioning of northern ecosystems.
Widespread in North American forest regions including the Rocky Mountains, the Boreal Owl (Aegolius funereus) was once the most numerous predatory bird in Eurasian boreal forests. Synthesising the results of unique long-term studies of Boreal Owls, this book explores hunting modes, habitats and foods, prey interactions, mating and parental care, reproduction, dispersal, survival and mortality, population regulation and conservation in boreal forests. Providing a detailed introduction to the species, the authors study the complex interactions of Boreal Owls with their prey species. They examine the inter-sexual tug-of-war over parental care, and the behavioural and demographic adaptations to environmental conditions that predictably and markedly fluctuate both seasonally and multi-annually. They also question whether Boreal Owls are able to time their reproductive effort to maximise lifetime reproductive success. Discussing the effect of modern forestry practices on owl populations, the book also examines how Boreal Owls could be managed to sustain viable populations.
This fact-filled guide explores forests from the equator to the frozen poles, the depths of the rainforest to the mountain forests at high altitudes. It also demonstrates the many benefits that forests provide us with, discusses the negative impacts that humans unfortunately have on forests and explains how good management can help protect and conserve forests and forest biodiversity. At the end of the guide, inspiring examples of youth-led initiatives and an easy-to-follow action plan will help young people develop their own forest conservation activities and projects.
