Suchergebnisse

Since the limnological research on the man-made Brokopondo Reservoir in the 'sixties, numerous data have been collected on the ecology of Surinam rivers and swamps. This book is a compilation of these data: it is the first comprehensive survey of the aquatic ecology of one of the peripheral areas of Amazonia. The geomorphology of the country, situated on the Guyana Shield, is the main factor determining the limnological properties of rivers and creeks. This results in an overall picture that is quite different from Amazonia. The emphasis of The Ecosystems of Suriname is on the living aquatic resources, including aquatic and swamp vegetation, phyto and zooplankton, macroinvertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles and mammals. Although most of Suriname is still in a pristine state, the human impact on fresh waters is considerable in those areas of rapid economic development, emphasizing the necessity of conservation measures, specially tailored for aquatic ecosystems. The Ecosystems of Suriname is a valuable acquisition for all scientists, environmental managers and others interested in tropical aquatic ecology

Maintaining biodiversity is a key goal of global forest policy which promotes ecosystem health and resilience in the face of changing land use and climate. Sustainable management of forest ecosystems is essential to the social and economic services that forests provide, is an important component of the environmental policies of national governments, and is a specific focus of the Conventional on Biological Diversity. Sustainable forest management supports the maintenance and enhancement of biodiversity, and relies on evidence based research to underpin associated policies and practices. Studies that take a focussed approach are particularly helpful in this regard where they identify mechanisms of ecological change in forest habitats, and predictors appropriate to determining the impact of management practices. Observational research can suggest likely mechanisms for ecological change, which can be tested and confirmed through experimental research. Predictors based on long-term research, on the mechanisms underlying ecological relationships, or on modelling approaches can be used to infer information about existing forests and to forecast future trends. This special issue presents a selection of papers which were first presented at the second international IUFRO conference on biodiversity in forest ecosystems and landscapes at University College Cork, Ireland in August 2012. The aim of this conference series is to 'share knowledge, discuss new trends, reflect on future directions in biodiversity management for sustainable forestry, and provide a stronger scientific basis for biodiversity management in forest landscapes in the light of climate change'. The selected papers exemplify the use of observational and experimental approaches to identify mechanisms of ecological change in forests, and the use of indicators to predict current and future patterns of biodiversity. Trends in forest biodiversity were examined and discussed, drawing on what we know about forests to reconstruct ancient forested landscapes and to identify strategies for the management of forests into the future.

First published in 2008. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

The economic value of the Upper Tuul ecosystem in Mongolia reports on a study carried out under the auspices of the World Bank and the Government of Mongolia. The goal of the study was to improve understanding about the economic value of the Upper Tuul ecosystem for Ulaanbaatar's water supplies and how this might be affected by different land and resource management options in the future. The study also aims to develop and apply ecosystem valuation methods that can be used more widely in the country, to generate information about the contribution of the environment to the Mongolian economy, and to make the case for improved budget allocations for the conservation of the Upper Tuul. Integrating eco-hydrological and economic valuation techniques, the study traces through the biophysical effects and socioeconomic impacts of future land and resource degradation, and ecosystem conservation, in the upper watershed.

The Arctic Institute's facilities on Devon Island were again used during the summer of 1967 by field parties studying glaciology, glacio-isostatic geomorphology, periglacial geomorphology, ornithology, and botany. In addition, an expedition photographer recorded the summer's activities with still photographs and on 16 mm. colour film. Field camps were established at various locations and the studies were pursued from these as well as from the Base Camp close to Cape Sparbo. .

Tropical forests and peatlands provide important ecological, climate and socio‐economic benefits from the local to the global scale. However, these ecosystems and their associated benefits are threatened by anthropogenic activities, including agricultural conversion, timber harvesting, peatland drainage and associated fire. Here, we identify key challenges, and provide potential solutions and future directions to meet forest and peatland conservation and restoration goals in Indonesia, with a particular focus on Kalimantan. Through a round‐table, dual‐language workshop discussion and literature evaluation, we recognized 59 political, economic, legal, social, logistical and research challenges, for which five key underlying factors were identified. These challenges relate to the 3Rs adopted by the Indonesian Peatland Restoration Agency (Rewetting, Revegetation and Revitalization), plus a fourth R that we suggest is essential to incorporate into (peatland) conservation planning: Reducing Fires. Our analysis suggests that (a) all challenges have potential for impact on activities under all 4Rs, and many are inter‐dependent and mutually reinforcing, implying that narrowly focused solutions are likely to carry a higher risk of failure; (b) addressing challenges relating to Rewetting and Reducing Fire is critical for achieving goals in all 4Rs, as is considering the local socio‐political situation and acquiring local government and community support; and (c) the suite of challenges faced, and thus conservation interventions required to address these, will be unique to each project, depending on its goals and prevailing local environmental, social and political conditions. With this in mind, we propose an eight‐step adaptive management framework, which could support projects in both Indonesia and other tropical areas to identify and overcome their specific conservation and restoration challenges.

Uttarakhand is a newly incepted state, geographically and culturally distinct from the plains and is the prime destination of tourists not only from India but also from different parts of the globe. Railways in Uttarakhand will certainly play a crucial role in the development of the state. Ministry of Railways of India has launched and initiated a project to connect the Char dhams of the state which will surely prove a landmark in the developmental feat of the state but development and modernization at the cost of disturbing the ecosystem in general and agricultural ecosystem in particular will create an imbalance in the livelihood of the people who by and large depend on agriculture economy. The present study was carried out in an agriculturally rich medium sized village of Uttarakhand. The survey reveal that climatic and geographical conditions of the village are suitable for the cultivation of large number of vegetables, fruits, cereals, millets, pulses and fodder plants supporting the livelihood of the natives. Land acquisition would have a negative impact on the socio-economic condition of the farmers as well as on the traditional crop diversity of the area as the railway project covers most of the fertile land. Thus, for reducing the havoc in the lives of the villagers government should provide land as an exchange as most of the population is agriculture dependent and at the same time degradation should be viewed with long-term vision

The tremendous increase in migrations and diasporas of human groups in the last decades are not only bringing along challenging issues for society, especially related to the economic and political management of multiculturalism and culturally effective health care, but they are also creating dramatic changes in traditional knowledge, believes and practices (KBP) related to (medicinal) plant use. The contributors to this volume - all internationally recognized scholars in the field of ethnobiology, transcultural pharmacy, and medical anthropology - analyze these dynamics of traditional knowledge in especially 12 selected case studies. Ina Vandebroek, features in Nova's "Secret Life of Scientists", answering the question: just what is ethnobotany?

Vexing Nature? On the Ethical Case Against Agricultural Biotechnology is a collection of philosophical essays on the ethical dimensions of agricultural biotechnology and genetically modified (GM) crops. Agricultural biotechnology refers to a diverse set of industrial techniques used to produce genetically modified foods. Genetically modified (GM) crops are plants manipulated at the molecular level to enhance their value to farmers and consumers. The ethical issues discussed in Vexing Nature? On the Ethical Case Against Agricultural Biotechnology are diverse and complex. Comstock addresses such concerns as the possibility of genetic engineering producing unanticipated allergens in previously safe foods, unexpectedly toxic health supplements, novel GM diseases, environmental catastrophe, bizarre new lines of animals possessing genes taken from humans, exceedingly wealthy corporations more powerful than the nations trying to regulate them, bankrupted family farmers in the US and Europe, exploited peasant farmers in developing countries, inhumanely treated animals in our labs and on our farms, and corrupted attitudes to nature among our children. In a fascinating narrative account of a journey that began in 1988 and ended twelve years later, Comstock tells the story of how he, an early and somewhat vocal critic of agricultural biotechnology, changed his mind about the ethical acceptability of GM organisms (GMO). Once tempted to oppose all uses of genetic engineering in agriculture, Comstock came to believe that many uses are morally justifiable, and even required. Vexing Nature? On the Ethical Case Against Agricultural Biotechnology explains his early, anti-GMO, position; the ethical, environmental, economic, social justice and animal rights arguments that led him to reverse himself; and the implications of his new position for public policy

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14 p., tablas, mapas -- versión online previa sin paginación -- post-print del artículo publicado en Economic Botany. Versión revisada y corregida. ; [EN] Previous research has documented different trends in the consumption of wild food plants but has rarely analyzed the motivations behind their continued (or lack of) consumption. In this article, we use empirical data to explore the factors driving the consumption of a selected set of wild food plants. We start by analyzing the different trends (i.e., abandonment, maintenance, and valorization) across 21 selected species with different food uses. We then explore the reported motivations that drive such trends using data collected among 354 respondents in three Catalan-speaking rural areas. The consumption of wild food plants is decreasing in the three study areas and across the categories of food use analyzed. Respondents listed sociocultural factors, rather than environmental or economic factors, as more prominent determinants of consumption trends; taste preferences seem to be the most relevant motivation for those who continue to consume wild food plants, whereas a myriad of motivations related to changes in lifestyle were provided by those who explain the abandonment of their consumption. ; [ES] Se han documentado diferentes tendencias en el consumo de plantas silvestres comestibles, pero raramente se han analizado las razones que explican por qué algunas plantas se siguen consumiendo y otras no. En base a una selección de plantas silvestres comestibles, en este artículo exploramos los factores que explican las tendencias en el consumo de plantas silvestres. En la primera parte analizamos las tendencias de consumo (abandono, mantenimiento y valorización) de un grupo de 21 especies con diferentes usos alimentarios y en la segunda exploramos las motivaciones esgrimidas por 354 habitantes de tres áreas rurales catalanoparlantes en relación a estas tendencias. El consumo de plantas silvestres parece haber sufrido una reducción generalizada en las áreas prospectadas. Para todas las especies, los encuestados mencionaron factores socioculturales, más que ambientales o económicos, como importantes a la hora de explicar sus patrones de consumo. Específicamente, el sabor parece ser el principal argumento para aquellos que continúan consumiendo plantas silvestres mientras que una combinación de motivos relacionados con cambios en estilos de vida predomina entre las explicaciones de aquellos que han abandonado su consumo. ; The present work was conducted under the framework of the project "Sociocultural factors that explain the gathering and consumption of food wild plants and minor crops. Case studies in the Iberian peninsula and the Balearic Islands," funded by the Economy and Competitiveness Ministry (CSO2011-27565) of the Spanish government. The contribution of Generalitat de Catalunya is also acknowledged (project 2014SGR514). E.C. benefited from a predoctoral contract from the Spanish Ministry for Education. ; Peer reviewed