Conservation Biology (Pullin)

Hardback  358 pp, 119 diags, 15 tabs, 41 graphs, 145 figs,  ISBN 0521642841      £85.00

Paperback  358 pp, 119 diags, 15 tabs, 41 graphs, 145 figs,  ISBN 0521644828      £38.00

Conservation biology is fast emerging as a major new discipline, which incorporates biological principles in the design of effective strategies for the sustainable management of populations, species and entire ecosystems. This beautifully illustrated textbook introduces students to conservation biology, the science of preserving biodiversity. It begins 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 that we now see. 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 the science can be put into practice.

Contents

Part I: 1. The natural world; 2. Major world ecosystems; Part II: 3. The human impact; 4. The effects of habitat destruction; 5. The effects of habitat disturbance; 6. Non-sustainable use; Part III: 7. The rise of conservation biology; 8. Selecting protected areas; 9. Design and management of protected areas; 10. Protecting species I. In situ conservation; 11. Protecting species II. Ex-situ conservation and re-introduction; 12. Landscape scale conservation; 13. Conserving the evolutionary process (a longer-term view of conservation); 14. Ecological restoration; 15. Putting the science in to practice.