Fundamentals of conservation biology

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Bibliographic Information

Fundamentals of conservation biology

Malcolm L. Hunter, Jr., James P. Gibbs, Viorel D. Popescu

Wiley Blackwell, c2021

4th ed

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Includes bibliographical references and indexes

Previous edition: Malden, Mass. : Blackwell Science, c2002

Description and Table of Contents

Description

FUNDAMENTALS OF CONSERVATION BIOLOGY "This book is about hope in the face of forces that would degrade our world. This book is about the rich tapestry of life that shares our world now and about how we can maintain it, sometimes in places that we protect and set aside, more often in places where we share the lands and waters with a wide range of other species." For more than 30 years, Fundamentals of Conservation Biology has been a valued mainstay of the literature, serving both to introduce new students to this ever-changing topic, and to provide an essential resource for academics and researchers working in the discipline. In the decade since the publication of the third edition, concerns about humanity's efforts to conserve the natural world have only grown deeper, as new threats to biodiversity continue to emerge. This fourth edition has taken into account a vast new literature, and boasts nearly a thousand new references as a result. By embracing new theory and practice and documenting many examples of both conservation successes and the hard lessons of real-world "wicked" environmental problems, Fundamentals of Conservation Biology remains a vital resource for biologists, conservationists, ecologists, environmentalists, and others.

Table of Contents

List of Case Studies ix Preface x Acknowledgments xiii About the Companion Website xiv Part I Biodiversity and Its Importance 3 1 Conservation and Conservation Biology 4 What is Conservation? 4 A Brief History of Conservation 6 An Overview of Conservation Ethics 10 What is Conservation Biology? 13 A Brief History of Conservation Biology 15 Summary 19 2 What is Biodiversity? 21 Species, Genes, and Ecosystems 22 Structure and Function 23 Measuring Biodiversity 24 The Mismeasure of Biodiversity 26 Biodiversity and Spatial Scales 26 Biodiversity Verbs 30 The Related Concepts of "Integrity" and "Sustainability" 31 Summary 33 3 Species Diversity 35 What is a Species? 35 How Many Species Are There? 37 The Intrinsic Value of Species and Their Conservation Status 39 The Instrumental Values of Species 46 The Uniqueness Value of Species 62 Summary 65 4 Ecosystem Diversity 67 What is an Ecosystem? 67 The Values of Ecosystems 71 Ecosystem Diversity and Species Diversity 80 Ecosystems and Landscapes 85 Summary 88 5 Genetic Diversity 90 What is Genetic Diversity? 90 The Importance of Genetic Diversity 101 Processes That Diminish Genetic Diversity 110 Cultural Diversity 117 Summary 124 Part II Threats to Biodiversity 129 6 Mass Extinctions and Global Change 130 Extinction Episodes of the Past 131 Estimating the Current Rate of Extinction 135 The Recent History of Global Climate Change 139 How Did We Get to this Point? What is the Way Ahead? 150 Summary 152 7 Extinction Processes 154 Why Are Some Species More Vulnerable to Extinction than Others? 154 Populations 161 Population Viability Analysis 166 Summary 177 8 Ecosystem Degradation and Loss 179 Contamination 183 Roads, Dams, and Other Structures 189 Earth, Fire, Water 195 Deforestation 198 Desertification 204 Draining, Dredging, Damming, Etc. 206 Fragmentation 211 Summary 221 9 Overexploitation 223 The Long History of Overexploitation 223 Types of Exploitation 230 Consequences of Overexploitation 238 Some Final Perspectives on Exploitation 243 Summary 249 10 Invasive Exotics 251 How Do Species Move? 252 Impacts of Invasive Exotics 261 Success Rates 269 Irony 271 Summary 277 Part III Maintaining Biodiversity 279 11 Protecting Ecosystems 280 Reserve Selection 281 Reserve Design 290 Reserve Management 299 Summary 307 12 Sustaining Ecosystems 309 Forestry 310 Livestock Grazing 316 Fisheries 322 Ecological Management 325 Restoring Ecosystems 325 Summary 337 13 Managing Populations 338 Providing Resources 339 Controlling Threats 348 Direct Manipulations 364 Epilogue 376 Summary 378 14 Conservation near People 381 Cultivated Ecosystems 382 Built Ecosystems 391 Zoos and Gardens 396 The Ex Situ-In Situ Interface 405 Conservation of Domesticated Species 410 Summary 414 Part IV The Human Factors 419 15 Social Factors 420 Values Differ 420 Describing Values 431 Values Change 434 Summary 443 16 Economics 445 The Benefits 446 The Costs 456 The Distribution of Benefits and Costs 459 Problems and Solutions 461 Summary 481 17 Politics and Action 483 Setting Priorities for Action 483 Rights and Responsibilities 493 International Agencies 496 Governments 501 Nongovernmental Organizations 505 Corporations 508 Communities 510 Individuals 512 Summary 517 Epilogue 520 Glossary 522 Literature Cited 536 Species Index 631 Subject Index 643

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