Conservation BiologyThis beautifully illustrated textbook introduces students to conservation biology by taking the reader on a tour of the many and varied ecosystems of our planet, providing a setting in which to explore the factors that have led to the alarming loss of biodiversity. In particular, the fundamental problems of habitat loss and fragmentation, habitat disturbance and the non-sustainable exploitation of species in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems are explored. The methods that have been developed to address these problems from the most traditional forms of conservation to new approaches at genetic to landscape scales are then discussed, showing how science can be put into practice. |
Contents
The natural world | 3 |
Diversity among living organisms | 5 |
Patterns of biodiversity | 7 |
The utility of the natural world | 15 |
The wild experience | 16 |
Summary | 17 |
Major world ecosystems | 19 |
Terrestrial environments | 20 |
Managing small populations | 207 |
Measuring species decline | 210 |
Genetic management of small populations | 212 |
Genetic management of species | 216 |
Sustainable harvesting of populations | 222 |
Summary | 226 |
Protecting species II Ex situ conservation and reintroduction | 227 |
Ex situ conservation of plants | 228 |
Montane environments | 42 |
Aquatic environments | 44 |
Summary | 48 |
Part 2 | 51 |
The human impact | 53 |
Current human impacts | 66 |
The human impact on species extinctions | 72 |
Effects of habitat destruction | 76 |
Patterns of habitat destruction | 78 |
Biotic effects of habitat fragmentation | 80 |
Contraction in species range | 99 |
Summary | 100 |
Effects of habitat disturbance | 102 |
Introduction of exotic species | 108 |
Introduction of disease | 116 |
Genetically modified organisms | 120 |
Physical disturbance of ecosystem dynamics | 121 |
Is disturbance always bad? | 122 |
Nonsustainable use | 124 |
Impact of overexploitation of nonliving resources | 135 |
Summary | 136 |
Part 3 | 139 |
The rise of conservation biology | 141 |
Early conservationists | 142 |
The emergence of conservation biology as a science | 144 |
The Rio Summit and Biodiversity Convention | 147 |
Conservation biology and the conservation movement | 148 |
Selecting protected areas | 150 |
What is a protected area? | 151 |
History of protected area designation | 153 |
Criteria for measuring conservation value of areas | 156 |
Practical approaches to protected area designation | 164 |
Summary | 171 |
Design and management of protected areas | 173 |
Managing protected areas | 176 |
Management of seminatural communities | 178 |
Monitoring change in protected areas | 193 |
Summary | 197 |
Protecting species I In situ conservation | 199 |
Assessing and categorising threat to species from human activity | 200 |
captive breeding | 230 |
Species reintroduction | 234 |
Direct species translocation | 244 |
Population reinforcement | 246 |
Overview | 249 |
Summary | 251 |
Landscapescale conservation | 252 |
Landscape ecology and conservation | 253 |
Enhancing species movement in the landscape | 256 |
Conservation in the urban landscape | 261 |
Conserving ecosystem function | 264 |
Ecosystem management | 265 |
the UK Natural Areas concept | 266 |
Summary | 268 |
Conserving the evolutionary process a longerterm view of conservation | 270 |
Conservation and the control of nature | 271 |
The use of phylogeography in conservation | 272 |
Using genetics to plan at evolutionary and biogeographical scales | 275 |
Linking genetic diversity with community diversity | 279 |
The use of systematics in conservation | 281 |
Conserving the evolutionary process | 282 |
Summary | 283 |
Ecological restoration | 284 |
Elements of practical restoration | 288 |
Case studies in restoration | 291 |
Where should restoration take place? | 297 |
Agrienvironment schemes | 298 |
Habitat creation | 299 |
The good and the bad of ecological restoration as conservation practice | 302 |
Summary | 303 |
Putting the science into practice | 305 |
The contrasting positions of the practitioner and the scientist | 306 |
lessons from medicine and public health | 308 |
an opportunity to bridge the gap | 313 |
Models for combining science and practice | 320 |
Taking action | 323 |
Summary | 327 |
References | 329 |
| 341 | |
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Common terms and phrases
action plans agricultural alleles animals aquatic assessment biodiversity birds butterfly captive breeding caused Chapter climate colonisation communities conservation action conservation biology coppice corncrake decline distribution disturbance dominant dynamics ecology ecosystems effects endangered endemism English Nature environment environmental estimated evidence example exploitation extinction factors fauna fish flora forest fragments gene genetic diversity grassland grazing habitat destruction habitat loss herbivores human activity impact inbreeding depression increase introduced species invertebrates island isolated IUCN kind permission km² land landscape landscape ecology loss mammals mature individuals ment metapopulation monitoring nature reserves number of species nutrient overexploitation patches patterns peat plants pollution practice predators probably problem programme protected areas range reintroduction Reproduced result scale seasonal seed small populations soil species richness strategy studies successional survival taxa terrestrial tion translocation trees tropical vegetation wetland wild wildlife woodland