Kategoria BISAC: Nature >> Environmental Conservation & Protection - General

Contemporary democracies are frequently criticized for failing to respond adequately to environmental problems and our political institutions are often charged with misrepresenting environmental values in decision-making processes. In this innovative volume, Graham Smith argues that the enhancement and institutionalisation of democratic deliberation will improve reflection on the wide range of environmental values that citizens hold.
Drawing on theories of deliberative democracy, Smith argues that institutions need to be restructured in order to promote democratic dialogue and reflection...

Contemporary democracies are frequently criticized for failing to respond adequately to environmental problems and our political institutions are often charged with misrepresenting environmental values in decision-making processes. In this innovative volume, Graham Smith argues that the enhancement and institutionalisation of democratic deliberation will improve reflection on the wide range of environmental values that citizens hold.
Drawing on theories of deliberative democracy, Smith argues that institutions need to be restructured in order to promote democratic dialogue and reflection...

Methods for raising awareness of how human s value the environment range from monetary valuation through to greater public participation in decisions. In this book a group of international experts explore innovative alternatives which are critically evaluated and compared. Lessons are drawn from both the successes and failures of different approaches. Case studies address a wide variety of cutting edge environmental problems from agro-forestry and wetlands to climate change, biodiversity and genetically modified organisms.

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Efficiency is the hallmark of environmental economics, and though economists are concerned with the environment, primarily because it challenges the efficiency of competitive markets, until now, limited attention has been paid to distributional issues. This excellent collection of essays identifies and addresses key issues surrounding the inequality-environment relationship such as:

* Does increasing economic inequality lead to better or worse environmental quality?
* Which individual or social features play a role in determining the differentiated impact of changes in...

The value of planet Earth's biodiversity has been estimated at US $16-54 trillion per year. Trillions of dollars of food, raw materials, pharmaceuticals, oxygen production, soil nutrient enrichment, climate regulation and sheer aesthetic delight and wonder. We are reliant on biodiversity to keep the plant healthy and resilient.
The 2nd edition of "Biodiversity and Conservation" continues offers an introductory guide through the maze of interdisciplinary themes that combine under the concept of 'biodiversity.' Using engaging examples throughout the text combines biological sciences with...

This revised second edition provides an introductory guide through the maze of interdisciplinary themes that comprise 'biodiversity.' It combines biological sciences with insights into the origins, variety and distribution of biodiversity, analysis of the social and political context, and the threats to, and opportunities for, the survival of natural systems.

Whilst retaining its existing structure, this updated new edition reflects advances that have demonstrated the importance of living systems as drivers of environmental services vital to human health and security. The...

Investigates the relationship between landslides and climate change. This work considers proactive approaches to hazard and risk management, combining geohazard modelling and prediction with effective risk management and informed planning policy, as a means of safeguarding the sustainability of communities at risk.

Knowledge of environmental issues and sustainability is increasingly important as industrialization and climate change continue to wreak havoc on our ecosystems and our psyche. As temperatures rise--and icecaps shrink and storms lash our coastal areas into oblivion--being smart about carbon footprints, waste streams and consumer choices becomes increasingly important for all of us.
Green Living, from the award-winning editors of E: The Environmental Magazine, offers a thorough, step-by-step plan for every making aspect of your life earth-friendly, from the laundry room to...

In this age of instant communication and biotechnology, on this ever-smaller planet, what kinds of problems have we created for ourselves? How do we tackle them in a world where the accustomed methods used by nation-states may be reaching their natural limits?In High Noon, J. F. Rischard challenges us to take a new approach to the twenty most important and urgent global problems of the twenty-first century. Rischard finds their common thread: we don't have an effective way of dealing with the problems that our increasingly crowded, interconnected world creates. Our difficulties belong...

Concepts are presented in a non-dogmatic way, with many and diverse examples that encourage the use of local and counter-examples to enhance classroom discussion. Uniquely integrates biology and general ecology courses and the practice of wildlife management.

This text examines the status and biodiversity of European lowland wet grasslands, giving information on their hydrology and management, particularly with regard to conservation objectives, and investigations that have taken place concerning the restoration of these endangered habitats. The volume combines prescriptive, analytical and reviewing contributions, including case studies from across Europe. It aims to strike a balance between different elements of the wet grassland landscape, with contributions dealing with flora, fauna (invertebrates and birds), and the physical and chemical...

Expanded Edition

This new, expanded edition of The Unquiet Woods, Ramachandra Guha's pathbreaking study of peasant movements against commercial forestry, offers a new epilogue that brings the story of Himalayan social protest up-to-date, reflecting the Chipko movement's continuing influence in the wider world. A new appendix charts the progress of environmental history in India. The bibliography and index have been revised and updated.

The rural west is at a crossroads, and the Sierra Nevada is at the center of this social and economic change. The Sierra Nevada landscape has always been valued for its bounty of natural resource commodities, but new residents and an ever-growing flood of tourists to the area have transformed the relationship between the region's nature and its culture. In an engaging narrative that melds the personal with the professional, Timothy P. Duane--who grew up in the area--documents the impact of rapid population growth on the culture, economy, and ecology of the Sierra Nevada since the late 1960s....

This book is the first to tell the story of conservation by local government and private land trusts in California. It describes the remarkable extent to which communities have protected their landscapes and draws lessons for disseminating successful preservation strategies across the country. Using archival research, in-depth interviews with open space advocates in local government and private land trusts, and a telephone survey of over four thousand California residents, Daniel Press describes land preservation efforts pursued by California communities and explains why some have succeeded...

Humanity has had an enduring desire for close contact with exotic animalsfrom the Egyptian kings who kept thousands of animals, including monkeys, wild cats, hyenas, giraffes, and oryx, to the enormously popular zoological parks of today. This book, the most extensive history of zoos yet published, is a fascinating look at the origins, evolution, andmost importantlythe future of zoos.
David Hancocks, an architect and zoo director for thirty years, is passionately opposed to the poor standards that have prevailed and still exist in many zoos. He reviews the history of zoos in light of...

We are living in the early stages of a looming worldwide extinction crisis. Abundant evidence shows that the current rate of species extinctions is nearing its highest level since the asteroid collision 65 million years ago, and that humans are largely responsible. This book addresses the urgent need to understand and find solutions to this crisis. Written by an international team of contributors who are among the best-known and most active experimental biologists working in the field of conservation biology today, it provides a unique approach by focusing on individual species rather than...

Motivated variously by the desire to reject consumerism, to live closer to the earth, to embrace voluntary simplicity, or to discover a more spiritual path, homesteaders have made the radical decision to go "back to the land," rejecting modern culture and amenities to live self-sufficiently and in harmony with nature. Drawing from vivid firsthand accounts as well as from rich historical material, this gracefully written study of homesteading in America from the late nineteenth century to the present examines the lives and beliefs of those who have ascribed to the homesteading philosophy,...

Monitoring changes in the intertidal zone of rocky shores has never been more critical. This sensitive habitat at the interface of land and ocean may well be the marine equivalent of the canary in a coal mine as we advance into an era of global climate change. This handbook describes effective methods and procedures for monitoring the ecological and environmental status of these areas. Written by three collaborating authors with extensive field experience, it provides critical discussions and evaluation of the various sampling techniques and field procedures for studies of intertidal...

Based on research conducted over two decades, this accessible and deeply felt book provides a provocative comparative history of environmentalism in two large ecologically and culturally diverse democraciesIndia and the United States. Ramachandra Guha takes as his point of departure the dominant environmental philosophies in these two countriesidentified as "agrarianism" in India and "wilderness thinking" in the U.S. Proposing an inclusive "social ecology" framework that goes beyond these partisan ideologies, Guha arrives at a richer understanding of controversies over large dams, state...

Sometimes by accident and sometimes on purpose, humans have transported plants and animals to new habitats around the world. Arriving in ever-increasing numbers to American soil, recent invaders have competed with, preyed on, hybridized with, and carried diseases to native species, transforming our ecosystems and creating anxiety among environmentalists and the general public. But is American anxiety over this crisis of ecological identity a recent phenomenon? Charting shifting attitudes to alien species since the 1850s, Peter Coates brings to light the rich cultural and historical aspects of...