Since the industrialization of fishing, fisheries scientists have been subject to intense economic and political pressures, which have affected the way the science has developed. The origins and effects of these pressures are traced in this book to concerns about determining the causes of fluctuations in fish and whale catches, and to resistance to regulation of fishing activity when populations are depleted. The development of partial theories of fish population dynamics are described using examples of both national and international fisheries. The causes of the difficulties encountered in...

This book describes the application of statistics, economics and mathematical modeling to the control of bird and mammal pests. It is about how scientists have analyzed whether vertebrates are pests and what is achieved by control. The book distinguishes itself from other books on the topic by emphasizing the science behind vertebrate pest control rather than methods of control. Dr. Hone critically reviews the literature on topics such as damage assessment and control evaluation and makes links to ecology, epidemiology, fisheries management and economics. The text includes case studies of...

Kostrov and Das present a general theoretical model summarizing our current knowledge of fracture mechanics as applied to earthquakes and earthquake source processes. Part I explains continuum and fracture mechanics, providing the reader with some background and context. Part II continues with a discussion of the inverse problem of earthquake source theory and a description of the seismic moment tensor. Part III presents specific earthquake source models. Although data processing and acquisition techniques are discussed only in simplified form for illustrative purposes, the material in this...

The theory of modular forms and especially the so-called Ramanujan Conjectures have recently been applied to resolve problems in combinatorics, computer science, analysis, and number theory. Professor Sarnak begins by developing the necessary background material in modular forms. He then considers in detail the solution of three problems: the Rusiewisz problem concerning finitely additive rotationally invariant measures on the sphere; the explicit construction of highly connected but sparse graphs, e.g. expander graphs and Ramanujan graphs; and the Linnik problem concerning the distribution...

Ngorongoro Conservation Area in the heart of Maasailand is one of the world's most important conservation heritage areas. This book centres on a field study of the Ngorongoro Maasai and their herds, around which present knowledge of African rangeland, wildlife, livestock and pastoralist ecology is brought together and analysed. Management problems in Ngorongoro encapsulate many of the major debates in the ecology and conservation of African savannas. This book explores perceived problems, ecological facts and possible management solutions. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the authors...

Timber production is often the most economic form of land use in areas of tropical forest: forest preservation is rarely so. The area of tropical forest reserved for timber production exceeds that of National Parks and other preserved areas by a ratio of at least 8: 1. Although often poorly managed to date, production forests have the potential to support a high percentage of natural forest biodiversity. They have a vital role to play in conservation strategies. This book attempts to bridge the current gap between conservation requirements and commercial interests, indicating the...

Savannas cover approximately half of the African land surface and one fifth of the land surface of the world. They are one of the most important, but least understood terrestrial ecosystems. They are the basis of the African livestock industry and the wildlife they support is of key importance in bringing in tourists. The Nylsvley area in South Africa is one of the most intensively studied savanna regions in the world and as such it is a key source of data and theory relating to this important tropical biome. The South African Savanna Biome Programme was set up to develop the understanding...

The vast area of swamp and wetlands of the Southern Sudan, the Sudd, absorbs and dissipates by evaporation about half the inflow from the upper catchment of the White Nile. Ways and means of reducing these losses by canalisation have been under engineering investigation since the beginning of the twentieth century, the objective being to provide additional water for irrigation and hydro-electric power in Egypt and the northern Sudan. Construction of the Jonglei Canal began in 1977; at the end of 1983 it was halted by civil war, 260 kilometre from its outfall and 100 kilometres short of...

Land degradation from soil erosion has been considered by many to be a problem of significant proportion, affecting some 30 50% of the earth's land surface. At the time of the first publication of this book in 1993, estimates indicated that 10 15 million hectares of land were being lost each year through erosion and salinisation from irrigation and that at such a rate of loss, topsoil reserves on most sloping lands would be depleted within two hundred years. Since humankind's dependency on the land for food is almost total, soil erosion represents a real threat to the security of our food...

The management of the elk population at Jackson Hole, Wyoming, has been the subject of a long-standing controversy among wildlife biologists, with critics of the winter feeding program predicting that such intervention would result in overpopulation, habitat destruction, disease and chaos. After more than 75 years in which hay has been provided during the winter months in most years, the elk population is flourishing and is for good measure one of the most intensively studied and managed wildlife populations in North America. This detailed study of migration, population dynamics, harvesting...