Biodiversity and ConservationA catch-all phrase of wildlife magazines and newspapers, the term 'biodiversity' is now so familiar, and the range of topics within its gravitational pull so varied, that it risks meaning everything and nothing. Yet the idea is a powerful focus, pulling together evolutionary biology and ecology, economics and politics, practical conservation and management to form a vital theme for the wise management of planet Earth. Biodiversity and Conservationoffers an introductory guide through the maze of interdisciplinary themes that combine under the concept of 'biodiversity'. Featuring lively and engaging examples from the UK, Africa and several oceanic islands and elsewhere, including Dodos and The Udzungwa Forest Partridge, the book defines and explains core topics of biodiversity, from creation and natural processes, measurements and patterns of extant biodiversity, losses, causes and consequences, to legislative, species/habitat protection and economic approaches to conservation. |
Contents
The OHara farm Galway 5 | 11 |
Greenpeace antiwhaling protest 10 | 11 |
From concept to crisis 3 | 11 |
Human impact on rainforest | 12 |
logged rainforest replanted with cannabis | 14 |
Mixotricha paradoxa a creature or community | 21 |
The Garden of Ediacara | 22 |
Hallucigenia sparsa weird wonder or upside down worm? | 24 |
The role of wetlands Global and national ecosystem services | 106 |
ecosystem services | 107 |
Extinction | 113 |
The Clovis overkill extinctions | 114 |
Partula turgida | 116 |
185588 | 123 |
Habitat fragmentation | 126 |
Human impacts | 133 |
Evidence for the KT impact hypothesis | 27 |
Characteristics of mass extinctions | 31 |
The creation of biodiversity | 39 |
Ecotron experiment | 40 |
A diversity gradient with altitude | 48 |
A species rich marsh Aberlady Bay Scotland a Local Nature Reserve | 52 |
Habitat heterogeneity | 56 |
Habitat complexity | 57 |
Disturbance and succession | 64 |
An inventory of planet Earth | 74 |
Methods and measures | 76 |
Microbial metabolic diversity | 77 |
Classifications of life through European history | 78 |
A new species of bird the Udzungwa partridge | 87 |
Erwins famous 30 million species | 91 |
The other last biotic frontier | 92 |
Mount Kupe part of the Cameroon Mountain Endemic Bird Area | 96 |
direct use production | 105 |
Human impacts Economic and social forces the passenger pigeon Ectopistes migratorius and the American buffalo Bos bison athabascae | 135 |
Grey seals Halichoerus grypus on the Farne Islands north east England | 136 |
Human impacts and economics | 138 |
Mount Kupe Forest Project Cameroon | 144 |
The conservation of biodiversity | 149 |
Elephants Loxodonta africanus in Zimbabwe | 151 |
Species Action Plan for Desmoulins whorl snail Vertigo moulinisiana | 156 |
Fens A costed Habitat Action Plan | 157 |
The author wrestling with a wouldbe Zimbabwean handbag at a crocodile farm at Victoria Falls | 159 |
Rio Convention caveats | 160 |
IUCN Reserves categories | 170 |
A campsite in a Zimbabwean National Park | 171 |
Partula snail reintroduction | 174 |
Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust training programme | 178 |
Glossary | 183 |
| 199 | |
| 202 | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Action Plan Africa alleles animals bacteria benefits biodiversity biological biomes birds breeding Burgess Shale Cambrian causes cent classification conservation coral countries create cultural dambos destruction developed world dispersal disturbance E.O. Wilson EBAS ecological economic ecosystem function endemic Endemic Bird Areas environment environmental estimates evolutionary ex-situ ex-situ conservation example exploitation extinction rates factors fauna Figure gene genetic diversity Global Biodiversity Groombridge 1992 habitat loss Hallucigenia hot spots important increased individual insect interactions International islands IUCN Kupe land lineages linked mammals mass extinctions million Mount Kupe National Parks natural numbers numbers of species nutrients Partula patches patterns Peripatric speciation plants Plate populations predators problems processes productivity programme protected areas rainforest range recent recognised Redrawn regional release reserves schemes snail Source speciation species diversity species numbers survival taxa taxon taxonomic threat treaties value of biodiversity versus vulnerable wetlands wild wildlife Zimbabwe zoos