Forest Ecology in India: Colonial Maharashtra 1850-1950 takes a look at the human interactions that have shaped up the ecosystem specifically of Maharashtra, under the British colonial rule. This work is a culmination of extensive analysis of secondary sources and numerous archival primary sources including vernacular material hitherto unexamined from the perspective of Environmental History. It traces the evolution of political, socio-cultural and religious attitudes and administrative policies that had an impact on the forest ecology of Maharashtra. The study goes beyond a chronological narrative of events and it adopts a fresh approach where it examines the impact of the forest policies and subsequent responses from the tribals, peasants and artisans. It looks at landmark events and struggles that shaped the resistance to the new environmental and forest laws as well as the spillover of these developments into the anti-colonial struggles of the early twentieth century. This book would be of interest to students of Environmental History and Environmental Justice.
American Indians and National Forests tells the story of how the U.S. Forest Service and tribal nations dealt with sweeping changes in forest use, ownership, and management over the last century and a half. Indians and U.S. foresters came together over a shared conservation ethic on many cooperative endeavors; yet, they often clashed over how the nation’s forests ought to be valued and cared for on matters ranging from huckleberry picking and vision quests to road building and recreation development. Marginalized in American society and long denied a seat at the table of public land stewardship, American Indian tribes have at last taken their rightful place and are making themselves heard. Weighing indigenous perspectives on the environment is an emerging trend in public land management in the United States and around the world. The Forest Service has been a strong partner in that movement over the past quarter century.
Forests play important role in combating desertification, preventing erosion problems, other protective functions, climatic change and acting as carbon reservoirs and sinks. Forests, the biodiversity they contain and the ecological function they maintain, are a heritage of mankind. The vital role of forests in protecting fragile ecosystems, watersheds and freshwater reservoirs and as storehouses of rich biodiversity should be recognized. Forests contain not only woody species and wild animals but also a wealth of other species of actual or potentially socio-economic importance at the global, national and local levels, including wild relatives of important crop species. Biodiversity is the variety and variability of plant, animal and micro organism in a ecosystem. Biodiversity, in wild and domesticated forms, is the source for most of humanity food, medicine, clothing and housing, most of the cultural diversity and most of the intellectual and spiritual inspirations. In other words, it is the very basis of man s being. Currently, there is severe and widespread loss of biodiversity because of a variety of factors and therefore its conservation is of utmost importance. Conservation and development are partners in the process of environmental protection. To maintain and increase the ecological, biological, climatic, socio-cultural and economic contributions of forests, their conservation and management are urgently required. Biological diversity (biodiversity) is also to be preserved to achieve sustainable development. The book is a sincere effort of the authors to provide compiled information on the subject matter of forest environment and diversity. It includes the impact of forests on environment, basic concept, status and extent of biodiversity, its loss and suggests ways and means of conservation for achieving sustainable development. Contents Chapter 1: Introduction; Chapter 2: Land Use, Forest Area and Population; Chapter 3: History of Forestry in India; Chapter 4: Ecological Perceptions; Chapter 5: Ecology of Indian Forests; Chapter 6: Forests and Environments; Chapter 7: Ecosystem Theory and Application; Chapter 8: Forests and Environment: Soil Erosion and Floods; Chapter 9: Wildlife and Biosphere Reserves; Chapter 10: Atmosphere; Chapter 11: Socio-Economic Effects and Constraints; Chapter 12: Women and Environment; Chapter 13: Macro Issues: Pressure on Forests; Chapter 14: Forestry and Rural Development; Chapter 15: Peoples Participation in Afforestation; Chapter 16: Environmental Considerations; Chapter 17: The Environmental Scenario; Chapter 18: Environmental Problems; Chapter 19: Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment; Chapter 20: Methods of Impact Analysis; Chapter 21: Some Case Studies of Environmental Impact Assessment; Chapter 22: Pollution: An Appraisal; Chapter 23: Air Pollution; Chapter 24: Water Pollution; Chapter 25: Biological Diversity; Chapter 26: Management of Forests for Wildlife; Chapter 27: Conservation of Biodiversity; Chapter 28: Action Plan for National Biodiversity Strategy; Chapter 29: Social Biota for Biodiversity; Chapter 30: Biodiversity Loss and Threat; Chapter 31: Biological Diversity Convention; Chapter 32: Conservation of Biodiversity in Indian Scenario; Chapter 33: Diversity in Community; Chapter 34: Bioresources Protection; Chapter 35: Biodiversity of Threatened Species of Medicinal Plants in India: An Appraisal; Chapter 36: Vegetative Propagation; Chapter 37: Tree Improvement through Biotechnological Tools; Chapter 38: Forest Resources and its Management; Chapter 39: Production and Receipt of Forest Products. C
The forest discourse in India has shifted decisively from questions of management to questions of governance. The essays in this book highlight and explore how this shift is occurring and what the challenges to democratic forest governance are. It covers questions of local management, wildlife conservation and forest conversion, as well as the changing socio-economic context of forestry in India.
This is the first comprehensive science-based primer to highlight the unique ecosystem services provided by mangrove forests, and discuss how these services preserve the livelihoods of coastal populations. The book presents three decades of real-time data on Sundarbans and Bhitarkanika mangroves in India measuring carbon and nitrogen sequestration, as well as case studies that demonstrate the utility provided by mangroves for reducing the impact of storms and erosion, providing nutrient retention for complex habitats, and housing a vast reservoir of plant, animal and microbial biodiversity. Also addressed is the function of mangroves as natural ecosystems of cultural convergence, offering the resources and products necessary for thriving coastal communities. The book will be of interest to students, academics and researchers in the fields of oceanography, marine biology, botany, climate science, ecology and environmental geography, as well as consultants and policy makers working in coastal zone management and coastal biodiversity conservation.
: The last 50 years have witnessed a vast expansion of both interest and knowledge in ecology. There has been a widening public awareness of the importance of ecological interactions, with particular focus on issues such as global warming, climate change, extinction of species owing to habitat destruction and sustainable development. In parallel, a wide suite of advances in ecological understanding have been fuelled by progress in a number of other field’s notably genetic engineering and molecular biology. This great expansion in understanding has lead to a problem for the student of the subject, as leading textbooks have grown in size and complexity to accommodate new theories and new data. The present book intended to fulfill the long felt need of the students of graduate and post graduate of all Indian universities. The syllabi of all the universities have been kept in view during the preparation of this text. The language of the book is simple and lucid. Attempt has been made to arrange the subject matter in a systematic and well knit style.
This textbook is written for undergraduates & postgraduates, university & college teachers, scientists and professional foresters. It offers a real-life introduction to the field of forestry and an interdisciplinary overview of the theory behind it. This textbook covers forestry in great depth and the real strength of the book lies in its focus on the context and applications of the field. Thanks to its wide scope, it not only serves as a useful introduction to the field but can also be used to understand how many other key forestry topics have changed in recent years as a consequence of the technology advancement. This textbook will significantly help the students for preparation of UPSC-Civil Service Exam, UPSC-Indian Forest Service Exam, ICFRE & ICAR Scientists/NET Exam, University Entrance Exam for admission to M.Sc. and Ph.D. programmes.
