Wetlands In A Dry Land

Author : Emily O'Gorman
Publisher : University of Washington Press
Page : 284 pages
File Size : 40,5 Mb
Release : 2021-07-13
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9780295749044

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Wetlands in a Dry Land by Emily O'Gorman Pdf

In the name of agriculture, urban growth, and disease control, humans have drained, filled, or otherwise destroyed nearly 87 percent of the world’s wetlands over the past three centuries. Unintended consequences include biodiversity loss, poor water quality, and the erosion of cultural sites, and only in the past few decades have wetlands been widely recognized as worth preserving. Emily O’Gorman asks, What has counted as a wetland, for whom, and with what consequences? Using the Murray-Darling Basin—a massive river system in eastern Australia that includes over 30,000 wetland areas—as a case study and drawing on archival research and original interviews, O’Gorman examines how people and animals have shaped wetlands from the late nineteenth century to today. She illuminates deeper dynamics by relating how Aboriginal peoples acted then and now as custodians of the landscape, despite the policies of the Australian government; how the movements of water birds affected farmers; and how mosquitoes have defied efforts to fully understand, let alone control, them. Situating the region’s history within global environmental humanities conversations, O’Gorman argues that we need to understand wetlands as socioecological landscapes in order to create new kinds of relationships with and futures for these places.

Author : Fred Pearce,Jane Madgwick
Publisher : HarperCollins UK
Page : 416 pages
File Size : 51,9 Mb
Release : 2020-02-10
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780008405120

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Water Lands: A vision for the world’s wetlands and their people by Fred Pearce,Jane Madgwick Pdf

Where water meets land, life abounds. This is the story of the nature and people of the wetlands of the world.

Author : Ann Vileisis
Publisher : Island Press
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 41,9 Mb
Release : 1999-09-01
Category : History
ISBN : 1559633158

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Discovering the Unknown Landscape by Ann Vileisis Pdf

The rapidly disappearing wetlands that once spread so abundantly across the American continent serve an essential and irreplaceable ecological function. Yet for centuries, Americans have viewed them with disdain. Beginning with the first European settlers, we have thought of them as sinkholes of disease and death, as landscapes that were worse than useless unless they could be drained, filled, paved or otherwise "improved." As neither dry land, which can be owned and controlled by individuals, nor bodies of water, which are considered a public resource, wetlands have in recent years been at the center of controversy over issues of environmental protection and property rights. The confusion and contention that surround wetland issues today are the products of a long and convoluted history. In Discovering the Unknown Landscape, Anne Vileisis presents a fascinating look at that history, exploring how Americans have thought about and used wetlands from Colonial times through the present day. She discusses the many factors that influence patterns of land use -- ideology, economics, law, perception, art -- and examines the complicated interactions among those factors that have resulted in our contemporary landscape. As well as chronicling the march of destruction, she considers our seemingly contradictory tradition of appreciating wetlands: artistic and literary representations, conservation during the Progressive Era, and recent legislation aimed at slowing or stopping losses. Discovering the Unknown Landscape is an intriguing synthesis of social and environmental history, and a valuable examination of how cultural attitudes shape the physical world that surrounds us. It provides important context to current debates, and clearly illustrates the stark contrast between centuries of beliefs and policies and recent attempts to turn those longstanding beliefs and policies around. Vileisis's clear and engaging prose provides a new and compelling understanding of modern-day environmental conflicts.

Author : Elizabeth H. Thompson,Eric R. Sorenson,Robert J. Zaino
Publisher : Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 53,8 Mb
Release : 2019
Category : Nature
ISBN : 097725173X

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Wetland, Woodland, Wildland by Elizabeth H. Thompson,Eric R. Sorenson,Robert J. Zaino Pdf

Co-published by The Vermont Fish & Widlife Department, The Nature Conservancy, and Vermont Land Trust--a revised and updated 2nd edition This book is a must-have for anyone wanting to understand Vermont's forests, wetlands, mountaintops, and shores. Richly illustrated with beautiful line drawings and stunning color photographs, this accessible field guide will delight outdoor explorers and armchair naturalists alike. The book starts with an introduction to the natural community concept and the factors influencing our natural systems, from wind and water to soil and rocks. Then, the book offers a lucid and enjoyable journey into Vermont's geologic past, with stories of colliding continents, sea floor sediments, and mysterious whale bones. This follows with a journey through all of Vermont's nine distinct biophysical regions, from the cold and wild Northeastern Highlands to the warm and dry Taconic Mountains. The bulk of the book describes Vermont's natural communities--its northern hardwood forests, dry oak woodlands, alpine tundra, cedar swamps, bogs, and marshes--in comprehensive detail. Ecological settings, including geology, soils, climate, and natural disturbance processes, are described for each community, along with complete lists of characteristic plants and animals, as well as places to visit. Wetland, Woodland, Wildland is the definitive guide to Vermont's natural communities, and is packed with information unavailable elsewhere. It offers practical information for naturalists, teachers, students, landowners, land managers, foresters, conservation planners, and all those with a love of nature who want to learn more about their surroundings. The first edition of this book, published in 2000, has become a mainstay for naturalists and students throughout Vermont and surrounding states and provinces. This second edition is completely updated to incorporate new research and a growing knowledge about natural communities, as well as a deeper understanding of climate change and its implications for conservation into the future. This newly updated book will be a prized addition to your natural history library, but it won't remain on the shelf. You will want to take it with you every time you explore the outdoors. Each paragraph will bring new insights and will deepen your understanding and appreciation of wild nature around you. You will surely want to share this book with friends.

Author : National Research Council,Division on Earth and Life Studies,Commission on Geosciences, Environment and Resources,Committee on Characterization of Wetlands
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 329 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 1995-10-06
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780309103640

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Wetlands by National Research Council,Division on Earth and Life Studies,Commission on Geosciences, Environment and Resources,Committee on Characterization of Wetlands Pdf

"Wetlands" has become a hot word in the current environmental debate. But what does it signify? In 1991, proposed changes in the legal definities of wetlands stirred controversy and focused attention on the scientific and economic aspects of their management. This volume explores how to define wetlands. The committeeâ€"whose members were drawn from academia, government, business, and the environmental communityâ€"builds a rational, scientific basis for delineating wetlands in the landscape and offers recommendations for further action. Wetlands also discusses the diverse hydrological and ecological functions of wetlands, and makes recommendations concerning so-called controversial areas such as permafrost wetlands, riparian ecosystems, irregularly flooded sites, and agricultural wetlands. It presents criteria for identifying wetlands and explores the problems of applying those criteria when there are seasonal changes in water levels. This comprehensive and practical volume will be of interest to environmental scientists and advocates, hydrologists, policymakers, regulators, faculty, researchers, and students of environmental studies.

Author : Vera S. Candiani
Publisher : Stanford University Press
Page : 409 pages
File Size : 50,6 Mb
Release : 2014-06-04
Category : History
ISBN : 9780804791076

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Dreaming of Dry Land by Vera S. Candiani Pdf

Not long after the conquest, the City of Mexico's rise to become the crown jewel in the Spanish empire was compromised by the lakes that surrounded it. Their increasing propensity to overflow destroyed wealth and alarmed urban elites, who responded with what would become the most transformative and protracted drainage project in the early modern America—the Desagüe de Huehuetoca. Hundreds of technicians, thousands of indigenous workers, and millions of pesos were marshaled to realize a complex system of canals, tunnels, dams, floodgates, and reservoirs. Vera S. Candiani's Dreaming of Dry Land weaves a narrative that describes what colonization was and looked like on the ground, and how it affected land, water, biota, humans, and the relationship among them, to explain the origins of our built and unbuilt landscapes. Connecting multiple historiographical traditions—history of science and technology, environmental history, social history, and Atlantic history—Candiani proposes that colonization was a class, not an ethnic or nation-based phenomenon, occurring simultaneously on both sides of an Atlantic, where state-building and empire-building were intertwined.

Author : Anonim
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 16 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 1995
Category : Wetland conservation
ISBN : MINN:31951P009737960

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America's Wetlands by Anonim Pdf

Author : Catherine Owen Koning,Sharon M. Ashworth
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 277 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 2019
Category : Wetlands
ISBN : 9780226554358

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Wading Right In by Catherine Owen Koning,Sharon M. Ashworth Pdf

Where can you find mosses that change landscapes, salamanders with algae in their skin, and carnivorous plants containing whole ecosystems in their furled leaves? Where can you find swamp-trompers, wildlife watchers, marsh managers, and mud-mad scientists? In wetlands, those complex habitats that play such vital ecological roles. In Wading Right In, Catherine Owen Koning and Sharon M. Ashworth take us on a journey into wetlands through stories from the people who wade in the muck. Traveling alongside scientists, explorers, and kids with waders and nets, the authors uncover the inextricably entwined relationships between the water flows, natural chemistry, soils, flora, and fauna of our floodplain forests, fens, bogs, marshes, and mires. Tales of mighty efforts to protect rare orchids, restore salt marshes, and preserve sedge meadows become portals through which we visit major wetland types and discover their secrets, while also learning critical ecological lessons. The United States still loses wetlands at a rate of 13,800 acres per year. Such loss diminishes the water quality of our rivers and lakes, depletes our capacity for flood control, reduces our ability to mitigate climate change, and further impoverishes our biodiversity. Koning and Ashworth's stories captivate the imagination and inspire the emotional and intellectual connections we need to commit to protecting these magical and mysterious places.

Author : Michael J. Vepraskas,J.L. Richardson,M.J. Vepraskas,Christopher B. Craft
Publisher : CRC Press
Page : 424 pages
File Size : 55,6 Mb
Release : 2000-09-15
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781420026238

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Wetland Soils by Michael J. Vepraskas,J.L. Richardson,M.J. Vepraskas,Christopher B. Craft Pdf

Covering wetlands soils from Florida to Alaska, Wetland Soils: Genesis, Hydrology, Landscapes, and Classification provides information on all types of hydric soils. With contributions from soil scientists who have extensive field experience, the book focuses on the soil morphology of the wet soils that cover most wetlands from the subtropics northw

Author : Michael Mortimore
Publisher : World Conservation Union
Page : 100 pages
File Size : 52,9 Mb
Release : 2009
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : STANFORD:36105215362398

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Dryland Opportunities by Michael Mortimore Pdf

Drylands cover 41 percent of the earth' s terrestrial surface. The urgency of and international response to climate change have given a new place to drylands in terms both of their vulnerability to predicted climate change impacts and their potential contribution to climate change mitigation. This book aims to apply the new scientific insights on complex dryland systems to practical options for development. A new dryland paradigm is built on the resources and capacities of dryland peoples, on new and emergent economic opportunities, on inward investment, and on the best support that dryland science can offer.

Author : Robert Snedden
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 32 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 2004
Category : Wetland ecology
ISBN : 0749657162

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Wetlands by Robert Snedden Pdf

Wetlands: Wetlands are unusual habitats, being the borderland between permanent water and dry land. This book covers the range of wetlands, from peaty bogs and mangrove swamps to the vast deltas of the great rivers and explains why they are important to life on Earth.

Author : National Research Council,Division on Earth and Life Studies,Commission on Geosciences, Environment and Resources,Committee on Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystems: Science, Technology, and Public Policy
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 580 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 1992-01-01
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : 0309045347

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Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystems by National Research Council,Division on Earth and Life Studies,Commission on Geosciences, Environment and Resources,Committee on Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystems: Science, Technology, and Public Policy Pdf

Aldo Leopold, father of the "land ethic," once said, "The time has come for science to busy itself with the earth itself. The first step is to reconstruct a sample of what we had to begin with." The concept he expressedâ€"restorationâ€"is defined in this comprehensive new volume that examines the prospects for repairing the damage society has done to the nation's aquatic resources: lakes, rivers and streams, and wetlands. Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystems outlines a national strategy for aquatic restoration, with practical recommendations, and features case studies of aquatic restoration activities around the country. The committee examines: Key concepts and techniques used in restoration. Common factors in successful restoration efforts. Threats to the health of the nation's aquatic ecosystems. Approaches to evaluation before, during, and after a restoration project. The emerging specialties of restoration and landscape ecology.

Author : Joseph Alcamo,Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (Program)
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 272 pages
File Size : 53,5 Mb
Release : 2003
Category : Biodiversity
ISBN : UCSC:32106015987487

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Ecosystems and Human Well-being by Joseph Alcamo,Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (Program) Pdf

Ecosystems and Human Well-Being is the first product of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, a four-year international work program designed to meet the needs of decisionmakers for scientific information on the links between ecosystem change and human well-being. The book offers an overview of the project, describing the conceptual framework that is being used, defining its scope, and providing a baseline of understanding that all participants need to move forward. The Millennium Assessment focuses on how humans have altered ecosystems, and how changes in ecosystem services have affected human well-being, how ecosystem changes may affect people in future decades, and what types of responses can be adopted at local, national, or global scales to improve ecosystem management and thereby contribute to human well-being and poverty alleviation. The program was launched by United National Secretary-General Kofi Annan in June 2001, and the primary assessment reports will be released by Island Press in 2005. Leading scientists from more than 100 nations are conducting the assessment, which can aid countries, regions, or companies by: providing a clear, scientific picture of the current sta

Author : J. Lemons,Reginald Victor,Daniel Schaffer
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 497 pages
File Size : 43,8 Mb
Release : 2012-12-06
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9781461503750

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Conserving Biodiversity in Arid Regions by J. Lemons,Reginald Victor,Daniel Schaffer Pdf

On the eve of the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD), held in autumn 2002 in Johannesburg, South Africa, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan recommended five specific areas as focal points of discussion for the global forum: Water, energy, health, agriculture and biodiversity. In his address, "Towards a Sustainable Future," delivered just four months before the WSSD, Secretary General Annan contended that concrete progress in each of these areas, often referred to by their acronym WEHAB, would be key to improving the quality of life not only in the developing world but across the globe. For most people, I think it is fair to say that the inclusion of biodiversity in a list that focuses on basic human needs may not be self-evident. Water, energy, health and agriculture, yes. But why biodiversity? The truth is that biodiversity is just as critical to global well-being as water, energy, agriculture and health. This is because biodiversity both drives and shapes nature's intricate and dynamic structure in an enduring form and force that enables both current and future generations to enjoy its bounty.

Author : C. Max Finlayson,Mark Everard,Kenneth Irvine,Robert J. McInnes,Beth A. Middleton,Anne A. van Dam,Nick C. Davidson
Publisher : Springer
Page : 1546 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2018-07-04
Category : Science
ISBN : 9048134935

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The Wetland Book by C. Max Finlayson,Mark Everard,Kenneth Irvine,Robert J. McInnes,Beth A. Middleton,Anne A. van Dam,Nick C. Davidson Pdf

In discussion with Ramsar’s Max Finlayson and Nick Davidson, and several members of the Society of Wetland Scientists, Springer is proposing the development of a new Encyclopedia of Wetlands, a comprehensive resource aimed at supporting the trans- and multidisciplinary research and practice which is inherent to this field. Aware both that wetlands research is on the rise and that researchers and students are often working or learning across several disciplines, we are proposing a readily accessible online and print reference which will be the first port of call on key concepts in wetlands science and management. This easy-to-follow reference will allow multidisciplinary teams and transdisciplinary individuals to look up terms, access further details, read overviews on key issues and navigate to key articles selected by experts.