Eurasian Steppes Ecological Problems And Livelihoods In A Changing World
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Eurasian Steppes. Ecological Problems and Livelihoods in a Changing World by Marinus J.A. Werger,Marja A. van Staalduinen Pdf
Steppes form one of the largest biomes. Drastic changes in steppe ecology, land use and livelihoods came with the emergence, and again with the collapse, of communist states. Excessive ploughing and vast influx of people into the steppe zone led to a strong decline in nomadic pastoralism in the Soviet Union and China and in severely degraded steppe ecosystems. In Mongolia nomadic pastoralism persisted, but steppes degraded because of strongly increased livestock loads. After the Soviet collapse steppes regenerated on huge tracts of fallow land. Presently, new, restorative steppe land management schemes are applied. On top of all these changes come strong effects of climate change in the northern part of the steppe zone. This book gives an up-to-date overview of changes in ecology, climate and use of the entire Eurasian steppe area and their effects on livelihoods of steppe people. It integrates knowledge that so far was available only in a spectrum of locally used languages.
KULUNDA: Climate Smart Agriculture by Manfred Frühauf,Georg Guggenberger,Tobias Meinel,Insa Theesfeld,Sebastian Lentz Pdf
This book focuses on a representative example and one of the world’s largest steppe conversions, and provides a detailed overview of the results of the BMBF-funded research project KULUNDA. As part of the Siberian virgin land policy, the Kulunda steppe was transformed into agricultural land from 1954 to 1965. In the course of the project, a multidisciplinary research team conducted a natural, social-economic and agro-scientific cause-and-effect analysis of (agro-)ecosystem destabilisation, as well as various field trials covering tillage and crop rotation options in their socio-economic context. The ecologically and economically sound findings offer strategies for combining climate smart land utilization, ecosystem restoration and sustainable regional development, and can readily be applied to other virgin land conversion efforts. In addition, the findings on the Eurasian steppes will expand the current conversion literature, which mainly consists of the ‘Dust Bowl’ literature of the North American plains. Given its scope, the book will appeal to scientists, professionals, and students in the environmental, geo- and climate sciences.
Global Vegetation by Jörg S. Pfadenhauer,Frank A. Klötzli Pdf
This up-to-date textbook of global vegetation ecology, which comprises the current state of knowledge, is long overdue and much-needed. It is a translation of the textbook “Vegetation der Erde” (Springer-Spektrum, Heidelberg). A short introductory chapter deals with the fundamentals of vegetation ecology that are of importance for the delimitation and characterization of the global vegetation presented in this book (chorology, evolution of plants, physiognomic and structural characteristics, phytodiversity and the human impact on it as well as general terminology concerning both plant growth forms and on vegetation structure types). In the following chapters the zonal and azonal vegetation from the tropics to the polar regions including high mountains is described and discussed. The main focus is on the characterization of interactions between the spatial location of plants and plant communities on the one hand and site conditions, historic and genetic processes, spatial and temporal patterns, ecophysiology and anthropogenic influences on the other hand. Additional information on specific topics is provided in 51 boxes.
Environmental Sustainability Education for a Changing World by Erika Pénzesné Kónya,Martin Haigh,Josef Křeček Pdf
Globally, there is a need to promote and empower practical action towards better environmental conservation and greater sustainability; education aspires to achieve and motivate this – one mind at a time. This book advances a future-oriented vision of the development of environmental sustainability education in settings outside the high-school. It provides practical guidance for teacher practitioners and policy makers in community-oriented environmental sustainability education. It promotes a modern holistic approach to sustainability learning in and by the community through participative engagement with sustainability issues. Its special foci include working with volunteers and citizen scientists, through museums or through re-purposing Higher Education. Its approach emphasises the implementation of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals and cooperation with environmental management professionals. This book’s cosponsors include the International Association for Headwater Control and FAO – European Forestry Commission’s Working Party on the Management of Mountain Watersheds, as well as the International Environmental Education Conferences, Eger, Hungary and the Hungarian Academy of Science’s Subcommittee on Future Studies. Community education has long been a goal for environmental management, whose practitioners realise that interventions, such as biodiversity conservation, are only truly sustainable when supported by the local land-user and stakeholder communities; this depends upon these stakeholders’ understanding why intervention is necessary.
Grasslands of the World by Victor R. Squires,Jürgen Dengler,Limin Hua,Haiying Feng Pdf
This book begins with a brief account of the extraordinary sequence of events that led to emergence of grasslands as major vegetation formations that now occupy some of the driest and hottest and the highest and coldest on earth as well as vast steppes and prairies in more temperate climes. It is the story of grasses successfully competing with forests and woodlands, aided and abetted by grazing herbivores and by humans and their use of fire as a tool. It is a story of adaptation to changing climates and the changing biophysical environments. A major focus of the book is the Palaearctic biogeographic realm that extends over some 45 million km2 and thus more than 1/3 of the terrestrial ice-free surface on Earth. It comprises extensive grasslands of different types and origin, which can be subdivided into (1) natural grasslands with (1a) steppes (climatogenic in dry climates), (1b) arctic-alpine grasslands (climatogenic in cold climates) and (1c) azonal and extrazonal grasslands (pedogenic and topogenic) as well as (2) secondary grasslands created and sustained by human activities, such as livestock grazing, mowing or burning. Grasslands of the Palaearctic do not only form a major basis for the agriculture of the region and thus its food supply, but are also crucial for other ecosystem services and host a supra proportional part of the realm’s plant and animal diversity. To reflect that suitability of grasslands for biodiversity strongly depends on their state, we apply the term High Nature Value grassland to those natural grasslands that are not degraded (in good state) and those secondary grasslands that are not intensified (semi-natural). The situation in a variety of countries where grasslands are evolving under the influence of global climate change is also considered. Case studies are presented on Southern Africa, Eastern Africa, India, China, South America, North America and Australia. The concluding chapter examines a set of themes arising from the chapters that make up the bulk of this book. The following provide a focus: recent history of grassland biomes – brief recap of current thinking and recent trends with special reference to dry grasslands in the Palearctic regions; the current status of grasslands and germplasm resources (biodiversity) – an overview; management systems that ensure sustainability; how to recover degraded grasslands; socio-economic issues and considerations in grassland management; the impacts of environmental problems in grasslands such as future climate change and intensification and the problems/prospects facing pastoralists and other grassland-based livestock producers.
'Earth to Climate Change' traces the effects of climate change on our past, present and future adaptations to social, political and climate factors since the last glaciation. Deeply simple solutions to climate change are available. We already have a blueprint for the clean technology future. Responding to the threats of extreme weather events, the risks of disaster, and the associated large-scale migration of populations is as close as our family tree. The past provides the clues as to how global temperature rises are going to affect us all. Earth, the beautiful blue planet, is constantly balancing the biosphere. We can all work collaboratively and proactively to address climate change.
The End of Desertification? by Roy H. Behnke,Michael Mortimore Pdf
The question in the title of this book draws attention to the shortcomings of a concept that has become a political tool of global importance even as the scientific basis for its use grows weaker. The concept of desertification, it can be argued, has ceased to be analytically useful and distorts our understanding of social-environmental systems and their resiliency, particularly in poor countries with variable rainfall and persistent poverty. For better policy and governance, we need to reconsider the scientific justification for international attempts to combat desertification. Our exploration of these issues begins in the Sahel of West Africa, where a series of severe droughts at the end of the 20th century led to the global institutionalization of the idea of desertification. It now seems incontrovertible that these droughts were not caused primarily by local land use mismanagement, effectively terminating a long-standing policy and scientific debate. There is now an opportunity to treat this episode as an object lesson in the relationship between science, the formation of public opinion and international policy-making. Looking beyond the Sahel, the chapters in this book provide case studies from around the world that examine the use and relevance of the desertification concept. Despite an increasingly sophisticated understanding of dryland environments and societies, the uses now being made of the desertification concept in parts of Asia exhibit many of the shortcomings of earlier work done in Africa. It took scientists more than three decades to transform a perceived desertification crisis in the Sahel into a non-event. This book is an effort to critically examine that experience and accelerate the learning process in other parts of the world.
Building Resilience of Human-Natural Systems of Pastoralism in the Developing World by Shikui Dong,Karim-Aly S. Kassam,Jean François Tourrand,Randall B. Boone Pdf
This edited volume summarizes information about the situational context, threats, problems, challenges and solutions for sustainable pastoralism at a global scale. The book has four goals. The first goal is to summarize the information about the history, distribution and patterns of pastoralism and to identify the importance of pastoralism from social, economic and environmental perspectives. The results of an empirical investigation of the environmental and socio-economic implications of pastoralism in representative pastoral regions in the world are also incorporated. The second goal is to argue that breaking coupled human-natural systems of pastoralism leads to degradation of pastoral ecosystems and to create an analysis framework to assess the vulnerability of worldwide pastoralism. Our analysis framework provides approaches to help comprehensively understand the transitions and the impacts of human-natural systems in the pastoral regions in the world. The third goal is to identify the successful models in promoting coupled human-natural systems of pastoralism, and to learn lessons of breaking coupled human-cultural pastoralism systems through examining the representative cases in regions including Central Asia, Southern and Eastern Asia, Northern and Eastern Africa, the European Alps and South America. The fourth goal is to identify the strategies to build the resilience of the coupled human-natural systems of pastoralism worldwide. We hope that our book can facilitate the further examination of sustainable development of coupled human-natural systems of pastoralism by providing the summaries of existing data and information related to the pastoralism development, and by offering a framework for better understanding and analysis of their social, economic and environmental implications.
Water-Soil-Vegetation Nexus and Climate Change by Xixi Wang Pdf
Water-Soil-Vegetation Nexus and Climate Change presents a broad overview of the research needs and approaches regarding water-soil-vegetation nexus and climate change. It includes chapters discussing water budget and factors that affect hydrologic processes such as precipitation, runoff, infiltration, evapotranspiration, soil water, and groundwater, in addition to a focus on consumptive (e.g., domestic and irrigation) and non-consumptive (e.g., eco-environmental) water uses, and water shortage. Throughout Water-Soil-Vegetation Nexus and Climate Change chapters specifically deal with the fundamental principles and also case studies, applications, and decision support tools, that can be usable for developing practical management measures in sustaining our eco-environment and society by maintaining an optimal water-soil-vegetation equilibrium. Written with water resources students and professors in mind, this book will provide the reader with further knowledge on the water-soil-vegetation nexus and its connection to climate change. Includes both principles and applications, providing the reader with options for both application types as needed Emphasizes the nexuses rather than individual processes, allowing the reader to understand the whole picture Presents case studies and decision support tools that can be used for developing practical management measures in changing climate
Drones for Biodiversity Conservation and Ecological Monitoring by Ricardo Díaz-Delgado,Sander Mücher Pdf
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) have already become an affordable and cost-efficient tool to quickly map a targeted area for many emerging applications in the arena of ecological monitoring and biodiversity conservation. Managers, owners, companies, and scientists are using professional drones equipped with high-resolution visible, multispectral, or thermal cameras to assess the state of ecosystems, the effect of disturbances, or the dynamics and changes within biological communities inter alia. We are now at a tipping point on the use of drones for these type of applications over natural areas. UAV missions are increasing but most of them are testing applicability. It is time now to move to frequent revisiting missions, aiding in the retrieval of important biophysical parameters in ecosystems or mapping species distributions. This Special Issue shows UAV applications contributing to a better understanding of biodiversity and ecosystem status, threats, changes, and trends. It documents the enhancement of knowledge in ecological integrity parameters mapping, long-term ecological monitoring based on drones, mapping of alien species spread and distribution, upscaling ecological variables from drone to satellite images: methods and approaches, rapid risk and disturbance assessment using drones, mapping albedo with UAVs, wildlife tracking, bird colony and chimpanzee nest mapping, habitat mapping and monitoring, and a review on drones for conservation in protected areas.
Spatial Heterogeneity of Forest-Steppes by Laszlo Erdos Pdf
Forest-steppes occupy a wide zone between Eurasian closed canopy forests and open steppes and feature a mosaic of woody and herbaceous vegetation. Due to the occurrence of structurally, compositionally, and environmentally strongly different habitats in close proximity, high spatial heterogeneity is one of the key characteristics of forest-steppe ecosystems. This volume presents ten contributions examining forest-steppe heterogeneity and its effects on environmental factors, plant communities, and animals.
Little Bustard: Ecology and Conservation by Vincent Bretagnolle,Juan Traba,Manuel B. Morales Pdf
This book is devoted to the Little Bustard, a medium sized Paleartic steppe bird whose distribution ranges from the Iberian Peninsula to Central Asia. At present, the European population is suffering a severe decline mainly due to agricultural intensification, although its status and concerns in non-European countries are relatively unknown. In spite of this dramatic situation, the Little Bustard is an interesting model species for topics as varied as phylogeny, life history evolution and demographic traits, sexual selection and lekking behavior, habitat selection, intra- and interspecific relationships, or interaction with farming and other anthropogenic disturbances. This book provides an updated, interdisciplinary, and worldwide review of the most recent information of this crucial species in the Palearctic steppe-bird community, from specific biological aspects and traits to research-focused management. Some of the most prominent scientists from different fields (systematics, breeding ecology, behavior, competence, predation, population dynamics, farming, conservation) update and synthesize the existing information on a singular, threatened and vulnerable species.
Conservation in Chilean Patagonia by Juan Carlos Castilla,Juan J. Armesto Zamudio,María José Martínez-Harms,David Tecklin Pdf
Chilean Patagonia, located at the southwestern tip of South America, is one of the last regions on earth where highly intact environments predominate. With a coastline that extends along some 100,000 km of fjords, channels, and islands, it has one of the world ́s most extensive marine-terrestrial interfaces. Local place-based and Indigenous cultures and management practices are a vital presence across the region, while the long and rich history of conservation efforts have resulted in officially protected areas covering over 50% of the land and 41% of the coastal-marine area. However, Chilean Patagonia is increasingly facing anthropogenic pressures associated with increased infrastructure and access, salmon aquaculture, extractive industries, and the spread of invasive exotic species. Despite widespread recognition that Chilean Patagonia represents a unique global reservoir of socio-natural heritage, to date there has been no region-wide assessment of the scientific evidence of the conservation status of its ecosystems or the priorities for their effective conservation. Conservation in Chilean Patagonia: Assessing the state of knowledge, opportunities, and challenges is the first book to gather and synthesize the available scientific and socio-environmental information related to Patagonian conservation. It presents the collaborative work of 68 researchers and local experts, representing a range of specialties and perspectives, including: biology, ecology, socio-ecology, fisheries, aquaculture, anthropology, economics, geography, tourism, cryosphere, oceanography, climate and global change. The book’s 18 chapters focus on the status of key ecosystems and conservation tools, and provide recommendations toward the construction of a renewed, inclusive, and integrated conservation agenda for the Chilean Patagonian region. It provides an essential primer for anyone interested in the future of this ecologically vital region, as well as lessons on interdisciplinary collaboration and integrated analysis of conservation issues useful for conservation practitioners and scholars. This is an open access book. This book is a translation of an original Spanish edition. The translation was done with the help of artificial intelligence (machine translation by the service DeepL.com). A subsequent human revision was done primarily in terms of content, so that the book will read stylistically differently from a conventional translation.
Atlas of Rangeland Plants in Hulun Buir by Xiaohui Yang,Yuanjun Zhu,Baizhu Wang,Yanshu Liu Pdf
This book includes description of main morphological characteristics of 435 species (including varieties and subspecies) belonging to 57 families and 233 genera of endemic and endangered plants of Hulun Buir Rangeland in China. A brief description of the morphological characteristics of each plant, flowering period, zoning, habitat, and the usage habits of most plants, together with 1 to 4 photographs taken in the field are provided. This work is designed not only for researchers working in rangeland science, ecological restoration and protection but also for professionals working in rangeland and related fields. The work is a result of many years of rangeland plant collection and specimens identification.
Progress in Botany Vol. 83 by Ulrich Lüttge,Francisco M. Cánovas,María-Carmen Risueño,Christoph Leuschner,Hans Pretzsch Pdf
With one volume each year, this series keeps scientists and advanced students informed of the latest developments and results in all areas of the plant sciences. This latest volume includes reviews on plant physiology, biochemistry, genetics and genomics, forests, and ecosystems.