The Mediterranean Basin with its mountainous shores, high biodiversity and spectacular scenery is located at the intersection of Africa and Eurasia. Through the 8000 years of human development in this area, there have been tremendous changes in its history and biogeography. Approximately 300 million people live here today. Although the evergreen maquis, vineyards, olive plantations and natural woodlands cover the lands all over the basin, it is facing severe destruction of habitats due to deforestation, intensive grazing, fires, and in particular, a severe coastal degradation due to...

The environment in ecological systems includes both physical parameters and biotic attributes, and is a holocoenotic, dynamically interlinked system. Its investigation requires a dialectical approach which examines the different parts, but integrates the organism and the environment into a dynamic whole. Environment and ecology place emphasis on the real world. Many decisions that directly or indirectly affect the balance of our environment are based on individual, community, state, national and international decisions. Given that ecological systems now also involve the economy, ecology and...

As humans we have stewardship over the environment. Man's dominion does not mean a license to abuse, spoil, squander or destroy. Future cultures will be able to reach their potential only if this generation remembers that sustainable land use is a combination of economics, ecology and social justice. Our ancestors survived due to an innate sense of oneness whereby they helped each other. For them everything was holy. Sustaining desired ecological, economic, and social conditions in the system is a big challenge, but not an impossible task. This book presents chapters by scientists from...