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This primer is divided into five chapters, focusing on: biological diversity and its value; the threats to biological diversity; conservation at the population and species levels; protecting and managing habitats and ecosystems; and human societies and sustainable development. Case studies demonstrate the controversies in the field. The choice of examples show the full range of species, habitats and geographic areas of the world.

Tabla de contenidos provista por Syndetics

• Preface(p. xi)
• 1. Conservation and Biological Diversity(p. 1)
• Conservation Biology's Interdisciplinary Approach: A Case Study(p. 2)
• Why Is Conservation Biology Needed?(p. 6)
• The Philosophical Background of Conservation Biology(p. 8)
• What Is Biological Diversity?(p. 10)
• Species diversity(p. 12)
• Box 1.1 Naming and Classifying Species(p. 13)
• Genetic diversity(p. 15)
• Community and ecosystem diversity(p. 16)
• Measuring biological diversity(p. 24)
• Where Is Biological Diversity Found?(p. 26)
• Box 1.2 The Origin of New Species(p. 27)
• How many species exist worldwide?(p. 30)
• Extinction and Economics: Losing Something of Value(p. 33)
• Patterns of extinction(p. 33)
• Ecological economics(p. 35)
• Common property resources(p. 37)
• Direct Economic Values(p. 38)
• Consumptive use value(p. 38)
• Productive use value(p. 40)
• Indirect Economic Values(p. 45)
• Nonconsumptive use value(p. 45)
• Option value(p. 51)
• Existence value(p. 53)
• Environmental Ethics(p. 54)
• Deep ecology(p. 59)
• Summary(p. 59)
• Suggested Readings(p. 61)
• 2. Threats to Biological Diversity(p. 63)
• Rates of Extinction(p. 64)
• Human-Caused Extinctions(p. 66)
• Extinction rates in water and on land(p. 68)
• Extinction rates on islands(p. 70)
• Island Biogeography and Modern Extinction Rates(p. 72)
• Causes of Extinction(p. 75)
• Habitat destruction(p. 77)
• Habitat fragmentation(p. 86)
• Habitat degradation and pollution(p. 91)
• Overexploitation(p. 101)
• Invasive species(p. 106)
• Disease(p. 112)
• Vulnerability to Extinction(p. 114)
• Summary(p. 118)
• Suggested Readings(p. 119)
• 3. Conservation at the Population and Species Levels(p. 121)
• Conserving Species by Conserving Populations(p. 122)
• Small Populations Are Especially Threatened(p. 123)
• The Problems of Small Populations(p. 124)
• Loss of genetic variability(p. 125)
• Effective population size(p. 128)
• Demographic variation(p. 131)
• Environmental variation and catastrophes(p. 133)
• Extinction vortices(p. 134)
• Natural History and Ecology(p. 135)
• Gathering ecological information(p. 136)
• Monitoring populations(p. 137)
• Population viability analysis(p. 141)
• The metapopulation(p. 144)
• Establishment of New Populations(p. 147)
• Considerations for successful programs(p. 149)
• Social behavior of released animals(p. 152)
• Establishing new plant populations(p. 153)
• New populations and the law(p. 155)
• Ex Situ Conservation Strategies(p. 156)
• Zoos(p. 158)
• Aquariums(p. 162)
• Botanical gardens and arboretums(p. 162)
• Conservation Categories of Species(p. 168)
• Legal Protection of Species(p. 173)
• National laws(p. 173)
• International agreements(p. 176)
• Summary(p. 180)
• Suggested Readings(p. 181)
• 4. Conservation at the Community Level(p. 183)
• Protected Areas(p. 184)
• Existing protected areas(p. 186)
• The effectiveness of protected areas(p. 187)
• Establishing priorities for protection(p. 189)
• International agreements(p. 198)
• Designing Protected Areas(p. 201)
• Reserve size(p. 203)
• Minimizing edge and fragmentation effects(p. 205)
• Habitat corridors(p. 207)
• Landscape ecology and park design(p. 209)
• Managing Protected Areas(p. 210)
• Habitat management(p. 213)
• Park management and people(p. 216)
• Outside Protected Areas(p. 220)
• African wildlife outside parks(p. 220)
• Strategies for success(p. 222)
• Ecosystem management(p. 225)
• Restoration Ecology(p. 227)
• Restoration ecology in practice(p. 231)
• Main Candidates for Ecological Restoration(p. 232)
• Wetlands(p. 232)
• Lakes(p. 233)
• Urban areas(p. 234)
• Prairies(p. 235)
• Tropical dry forests(p. 236)
• Restoration Ecology and the Future of Conservation(p. 238)
• Summary(p. 238)
• Suggested Readings(p. 239)
• 5. Conservation and Sustainable Development(p. 241)
• Government Action(p. 243)
• Local legislation(p. 243)
• National legislation(p. 246)
• Traditional Societies and Sustainable Development(p. 247)
• Conservation ethics of traditional societies(p. 249)
• Local people and their governments(p. 250)
• Biological diversity and cultural diversity(p. 252)
• Conservation efforts involving traditional societies(p. 254)
• International Approaches to Conservation and Sustainable Development(p. 259)
• The Earth Summit(p. 259)
• Funding sustainable development programs(p. 262)
• International funding(p. 262)
• Funding in developing countries(p. 263)
• International development banks and ecosystem damage(p. 265)
• Development lending gone awry: Case studies(p. 266)
• Reforming development lending(p. 268)
• An Agenda for the Future(p. 270)
• The role of conservation biologists(p. 275)
• Summary(p. 278)
• Suggested Readings(p. 279)
• Appendix Selected Environmental Organizations and Sources of Information(p. 281)
• Bibliography(p. 285)
• Index(p. 305)

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CHOICE Review

Primack believes that conservation biology is a multidisciplinary science that has developed in response to the crisis confronting biological diversity today. After briefly discussing the several disciplines that are involved in biological conservation (from basic biology to economics and political science), he provides several definitions of biological diversity at the species, community, and ecosystem levels and then pursues a detailed discussion of the nature of the crisis affecting biodiversity. A number of conservation strategies and tactics to alleviate the crisis are described at species, population, and community levels. In a writing style often less fluid and more turgid than one would have anticipated for the book's intended audience, the author, a well-published and experienced authority in the field, nonetheless elucidates basic principles with clarity and refinement, accompanying them with ample examples of wide range. A final chapter dealing well with sustainable development is followed by a list of environmental organizations and sources of information and an ample bibliography. Numerous tables and graphs are accompanied by black-and-white photographs that, unfortunately, are not of high contrast. General; lower-division undergraduate. E. J. Kormondy; emeritus, University of Hawaii at Hilo

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

Richard B. Primack is a Professor in the Biology Department at Boston University and is currently a Bullard Fellow at Harvard University (1999-2000)