What's So Good About Biodiversity?

Download What's So Good About Biodiversity? PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 9400739915
Total Pages : 568 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (7 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis What's So Good About Biodiversity? by : Donald S. Maier

Download or read book What's So Good About Biodiversity? written by Donald S. Maier and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-05-23 with total page 568 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There has been a deluge of material on biodiversity, starting from a trickle back in the mid-1980's. However, this book is entirely unique in its treatment of the topic. It is unique in its meticulously crafted, scientifically informed, philosophical examination of the norms and values that are at the heart of discussions about biodiversity. And it is unique in its point of view, which is the first to comprehensively challenge prevailing views about biodiversity and its value. According to those dominant views, biodiversity is an extremely good thing – so good that it has become the emblem of natural value. The book's broader purpose is to use biodiversity as a lens through which to view the nature of natural value. It first examines, on their own terms, the arguments for why biodiversity is supposed to be a good thing. This discussion cuts a very broad and detailed swath through the scientific, economic, and environmental literature. It finds all these arguments to be seriously wanting. Worse, these arguments appear to have consequences that should dismay and perplex most environmentalists. The book then turns to a deeper analysis of these failures and suggests that they result from posing value questions from within a framework that is inappropriate for nature's value. It concludes with a novel suggestion for framing natural value. This new proposal avoids the pitfalls of the ones that prevail in the promotion of biodiversity. And it exposes the goals of conservation biology, restoration biology, and the world's largest conservation organizations as badly ill-conceived.

What Is Biodiversity?

Download What Is Biodiversity? PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 0226500829
Total Pages : 231 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (265 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis What Is Biodiversity? by : James Maclaurin

Download or read book What Is Biodiversity? written by James Maclaurin and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2008-11-15 with total page 231 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the life sciences, there is wide-ranging debate about biodiversity. While nearly everyone is in favor of biodiversity and its conservation, methods for its assessment vary enormously. So what exactly is biodiversity? Most theoretical work on the subject assumes it has something to do with species richness—with the number of species in a particular region—but in reality, it is much more than that. Arguing that we cannot make rational decisions about what it is to be protected without knowing what biodiversity is, James Maclaurin and Kim Sterelny offer in What Is Biodiversity? a theoretical and conceptual exploration of the biological world and how diversity is valued. Here, Maclaurin and Sterelny explore not only the origins of the concept of biodiversity, but also how that concept has been shaped by ecology and more recently by conservation biology. They explain the different types of biodiversity important in evolutionary theory, developmental biology, ecology, morphology and taxonomy and conclude that biological heritage is rich in not just one biodiversity but many. Maclaurin and Sterelny also explore the case for the conservation of these biodiversities using option value theory, a tool borrowed from economics. An erudite, provocative, timely, and creative attempt to answer a fundamental question, What Is Biodiversity? will become a foundational text in the life sciences and studies thereof.

Perspectives on Biodiversity

Download Perspectives on Biodiversity PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 030906581X
Total Pages : 166 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (9 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Perspectives on Biodiversity by : National Research Council

Download or read book Perspectives on Biodiversity written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1999-10-01 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Resource-management decisions, especially in the area of protecting and maintaining biodiversity, are usually incremental, limited in time by the ability to forecast conditions and human needs, and the result of tradeoffs between conservation and other management goals. The individual decisions may not have a major effect but can have a cumulative major effect. Perspectives on Biodiversity reviews current understanding of the value of biodiversity and the methods that are useful in assessing that value in particular circumstances. It recommends and details a list of components-including diversity of species, genetic variability within and among species, distribution of species across the ecosystem, the aesthetic satisfaction derived from diversity, and the duty to preserve and protect biodiversity. The book also recommends that more information about the role of biodiversity in sustaining natural resources be gathered and summarized in ways useful to managers. Acknowledging that decisions about biodiversity are necessarily qualitative and change over time because of the nonmarket nature of so many of the values, the committee recommends periodic reviews of management decisions.

Sustaining Life

Download Sustaining Life PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 576 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (121 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Sustaining Life by : Eric Chivian

Download or read book Sustaining Life written by Eric Chivian and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2008-05-15 with total page 576 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity; United Nations Development Programme; United Nations Environment Programme; IUCN--The World Conservation Union."

Beloved Beasts: Fighting for Life in an Age of Extinction

Download Beloved Beasts: Fighting for Life in an Age of Extinction PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN 13 : 1324001690
Total Pages : 352 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (24 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Beloved Beasts: Fighting for Life in an Age of Extinction by : Michelle Nijhuis

Download or read book Beloved Beasts: Fighting for Life in an Age of Extinction written by Michelle Nijhuis and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2021-03-09 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of the Sierra Club's 2021 Rachel Carson Award One of Chicago Tribune's Ten Best Books of 2021 Named a Top Ten Best Science Book of 2021 by Booklist and Smithsonian Magazine "At once thoughtful and thought-provoking,” Beloved Beasts tells the story of the modern conservation movement through the lives and ideas of the people who built it, making “a crucial addition to the literature of our troubled time" (Elizabeth Kolbert, author of The Sixth Extinction). In the late nineteenth century, humans came at long last to a devastating realization: their rapidly industrializing and globalizing societies were driving scores of animal species to extinction. In Beloved Beasts, acclaimed science journalist Michelle Nijhuis traces the history of the movement to protect and conserve other forms of life. From early battles to save charismatic species such as the American bison and bald eagle to today’s global effort to defend life on a larger scale, Nijhuis’s “spirited and engaging” account documents “the changes of heart that changed history” (Dan Cryer, Boston Globe). With “urgency, passion, and wit” (Michael Berry, Christian Science Monitor), she describes the vital role of scientists and activists such as Aldo Leopold and Rachel Carson, reveals the origins of vital organizations like the Audubon Society and the World Wildlife Fund, explores current efforts to protect species such as the whooping crane and the black rhinoceros, and confronts the darker side of modern conservation, long shadowed by racism and colonialism. As the destruction of other species continues and the effects of climate change wreak havoc on our world, Beloved Beasts charts the ways conservation is becoming a movement for the protection of all species including our own.

Conserving Biodiversity

Download Conserving Biodiversity PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309046831
Total Pages : 138 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (9 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Conserving Biodiversity by : National Research Council

Download or read book Conserving Biodiversity written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1992-02-01 with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The loss of the earth's biological diversity is widely recognized as a critical environmental problem. That loss is most severe in developing countries, where the conditions of human existence are most difficult. Conserving Biodiversity presents an agenda for research that can provide information to formulate policy and design conservation programs in the Third World. The book includes discussions of research needs in the biological sciences as well as economics and anthropology, areas of critical importance to conservation and sustainable development. Although specifically directed toward development agencies, non-governmental organizations, and decisionmakers in developing nations, this volume should be of interest to all who are involved in the conservation of biological diversity.

Defending Biodiversity

Download Defending Biodiversity PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 0521768861
Total Pages : 457 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (217 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Defending Biodiversity by : Jonathan A. Newman

Download or read book Defending Biodiversity written by Jonathan A. Newman and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-10-05 with total page 457 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This interdisciplinary and accessible book will help environmentalists to make stronger arguments in favor of conserving biodiversity.

Biodiversity

Download Biodiversity PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : CSIRO PUBLISHING
ISBN 13 : 1486302076
Total Pages : 232 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (863 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Biodiversity by : Steve Morton

Download or read book Biodiversity written by Steve Morton and published by CSIRO PUBLISHING. This book was released on 2014-06-05 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Australians have stewardship of a beautiful, diverse and unique environment. We have long had a sense that the biodiversity of this country is special. Yet, despite our sense of its importance, in many parts of our country biodiversity is in trouble. Given the economic, ecological and social importance of biodiversity to our nation, CSIRO has been conducting research into Australia's biodiversity for nearly 90 years. This research has not simply focused on quantifying the challenge, but also on identifying practical solutions for its sustainable management. Biodiversity: Science and Solutions for Australia aims to provide access to the latest scientific knowledge on Australia’s biodiversity in an engaging and clear format. The book describes the ancient origins and unique features of Australia’s species, as well as the current status of our biodiversity. It outlines tools for management and planning, highlights Indigenous perspectives on biodiversity, and looks at how Australia’s biodiversity interacts with agriculture, the resources sector, cities, and with our changing global environment. Importantly, it also shows that biodiversity is in the eye of the beholder: for some it is our life support system, for others it is a resource to be used, for others it is a precious cultural symbol.

Conservation Biogeography

Download Conservation Biogeography PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1444390023
Total Pages : 379 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (443 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Conservation Biogeography by : Richard J. Ladle

Download or read book Conservation Biogeography written by Richard J. Ladle and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-01-11 with total page 379 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: CONSERVATION BIOGEOGRAPHY The Earth’s ecosystems are in the midst of an unprecedented period of change as a result of human action. Many habitats have been completely destroyed or divided into tiny fragments, others have been transformed through the introduction of new species, or the extinction of native plants and animals, while anthropogenic climate change now threatens to completely redraw the geographic map of life on this planet. The urgent need to understand and prescribe solutions to this complicated and interlinked set of pressing conservation issues has lead to the transformation of the venerable academic discipline of biogeography – the study of the geographic distribution of animals and plants. The newly emerged sub-discipline of conservation biogeography uses the conceptual tools and methods of biogeography to address real world conservation problems and to provide predictions about the fate of key species and ecosystems over the next century. This book provides the first comprehensive review of the field in a series of closely interlinked chapters addressing the central issues within this exciting and important subject.

Biodiversity and Environmental Philosophy

Download Biodiversity and Environmental Philosophy PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780521851329
Total Pages : 292 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (513 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Biodiversity and Environmental Philosophy by : Sahotra Sarkar

Download or read book Biodiversity and Environmental Philosophy written by Sahotra Sarkar and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2005-09-19 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the epistemological and ethical issues at the foundations of environmental philosophy, emphasising the conservation of biodiversity. Sahota Sarkar criticises attempts to attribute intrinsic value to nature and defends an anthropocentric position on biodiversity conservation based on an untraditional concept of transformative value. Unlike other studies in the field of environmental philosophy, this book is as much concerned with epistemological issues as with environmental ethics. It covers a broad range of topics, including problems of explanation and prediction in traditional ecology and how individual-based models and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology is transforming ecology. Introducing a brief history of conservation biology, Sarkar analyses the consensus framework for conservation planning through adaptive management. He concludes with a discussion of directions for theoretical research in conservation biology and environmental philosophy.

Wild Solutions

Download Wild Solutions PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Melbourne Univ. Publishing
ISBN 13 : 0522863981
Total Pages : 259 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (228 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Wild Solutions by : Beattie, Andrew

Download or read book Wild Solutions written by Beattie, Andrew and published by Melbourne Univ. Publishing. This book was released on 2013-05-24 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this fascinating and abundantly illustrated book, two eminent ecologists explain how the millions of species living on Earth -- some microscopic, some obscure, many threatened -- not only help keep us alive but also hold possibilities for previously unimagined products, medicines, and even industries. In an Afterword written especially for this edition, the authors consider the impact of two revolutions now taking place: the increasing rate at which we are discovering new species because of new technology available to us and the accelarating rate at which we are losing biological diversity. Also reviewed and summarized are many "new" wild solutions, such as innocative approaches to the discovery of pharmaceuticals, the "lotus effect", the ever-growing importance of bacteria, molecular biomimetics, ecological restoration, and robotics. "An easy read, generating a momentum of energy and excitement about the potential of the natural world to solve many of the problems that face us." E. J. Milner-Gulland, Nature "An engaging book clearly intended to impress upon a lay audience the practical value of biological diversity ... An outstanding work." Ecology

Biodiversity

Download Biodiversity PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309037395
Total Pages : 535 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (9 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Biodiversity by : National Academy of Sciences/Smithsonian Institution

Download or read book Biodiversity written by National Academy of Sciences/Smithsonian Institution and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1988-01-01 with total page 535 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This important book for scientists and nonscientists alike calls attention to a most urgent global problem: the rapidly accelerating loss of plant and animal species to increasing human population pressure and the demands of economic development. Based on a major conference sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences and the Smithsonian Institution, Biodiversity creates a systematic framework for analyzing the problem and searching for possible solutions.

Concepts of Biology

Download Concepts of Biology PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9789888407453
Total Pages : 618 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (74 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Concepts of Biology by : Samantha Fowler

Download or read book Concepts of Biology written by Samantha Fowler and published by . This book was released on 2018-01-07 with total page 618 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Concepts of Biology is designed for the single-semester introduction to biology course for non-science majors, which for many students is their only college-level science course. As such, this course represents an important opportunity for students to develop the necessary knowledge, tools, and skills to make informed decisions as they continue with their lives. Rather than being mired down with facts and vocabulary, the typical non-science major student needs information presented in a way that is easy to read and understand. Even more importantly, the content should be meaningful. Students do much better when they understand why biology is relevant to their everyday lives. For these reasons, Concepts of Biology is grounded on an evolutionary basis and includes exciting features that highlight careers in the biological sciences and everyday applications of the concepts at hand.We also strive to show the interconnectedness of topics within this extremely broad discipline. In order to meet the needs of today's instructors and students, we maintain the overall organization and coverage found in most syllabi for this course. A strength of Concepts of Biology is that instructors can customize the book, adapting it to the approach that works best in their classroom. Concepts of Biology also includes an innovative art program that incorporates critical thinking and clicker questions to help students understand--and apply--key concepts.

Precious Heritage

Download Precious Heritage PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0198028962
Total Pages : 426 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (98 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Precious Heritage by : Bruce A. Stein

Download or read book Precious Heritage written by Bruce A. Stein and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2000-03-16 with total page 426 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the lush forests of Appalachia to the frozen tundra of Alaska, and from the tallgrass prairies of the Midwest to the subtropical rainforests of Hawaii, the United States harbors a remarkable array of ecosystems. These ecosystems in turn sustain an exceptional variety of plant and animal life. For species such as salamanders and freshwater turtles, the United States ranks as the global center of diversity. Among the nation's other unique biological features are California's coast redwoods, the world's tallest trees, and Nevada's Devils Hole pupfish, which survives in a single ten-by-seventy-foot desert pool, the smallest range of any vertebrate animal. Precious Heritage draws together for the first time a quarter century of information on U.S. biodiversity developed by natural heritage programs from across the country. This richly illustrated volume not only documents those aspects of U.S. biodiversity that are particularly noteworthy, but also considers how our species and ecosystems are faring, what is threatening them, and what is needed to protect the nation's remaining natural inheritance. Above all, Precious Heritage is a celebration of the extraordinary biological diversity of the United States.

From Assessing to Conserving Biodiversity

Download From Assessing to Conserving Biodiversity PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3030109917
Total Pages : 455 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (31 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis From Assessing to Conserving Biodiversity by : Elena Casetta

Download or read book From Assessing to Conserving Biodiversity written by Elena Casetta and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-06-17 with total page 455 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This open access book features essays written by philosophers, biologists, ecologists and conservation scientists facing the current biodiversity crisis. Despite increasing communication, accelerating policy and management responses, and notwithstanding improving ecosystem assessment and endangered species knowledge, conserving biodiversity continues to be more a concern than an accomplished task. Why is it so?The overexploitation of natural resources by our species is a frequently recognised factor, while the short-term economic interests of governments and stakeholders typically clash with the burdens that implementing conservation actions imply. But this is not the whole story. This book develops a different perspective on the problem by exploring the conceptual challenges and practical defiance posed by conserving biodiversity, namely: on the one hand, the difficulties in defining what biodiversity is and characterizing that “thing” to which the word ‘biodiversity’ refers to; on the other hand, the reasons why assessing biodiversity and putting in place effective conservation actions is arduous.

Biodiversity II

Download Biodiversity II PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Joseph Henry Press
ISBN 13 : 0309176565
Total Pages : 560 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Biodiversity II by : A Joseph Henry Press book

Download or read book Biodiversity II written by A Joseph Henry Press book and published by Joseph Henry Press. This book was released on 1996-09-16 with total page 560 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The book before you...carries the urgent warning that we are rapidly altering and destroying the environments that have fostered the diversity of life forms for more than a billion years." With those words, Edward O. Wilson opened the landmark volume Biodiversity (National Academy Press, 1988). Despite this and other such alarms, species continue to vanish at a rapid rate, taking with them their genetic legacy and potential benefits. Many disappear before they can even be identified. Biodiversity II is a renewed call for urgency. This volume updates readers on how much we already know and how much remains to be identified scientifically. It explores new strategies for quantifying, understanding, and protecting biodiversity, including: New approaches to the integration of electronic data, including a proposal for a U.S. National Biodiversity Information Center. Application of techniques developed in the human genome project to species identification and classification. The Gap Analysis Program of the National Biological Survey, which uses layered satellite, climatic, and biological data to assess distribution and better manage biodiversity. The significant contribution of museum collections to identifying and categorizing species, which is essential for understanding ecological function and for targeting organisms and regions at risk. The book describes our growing understanding of how megacenters of diversity (e.g., rainforest insects, coral reefs) are formed, maintained, and lost; what can be learned from mounting bird extinctions; and how conservation efforts for neotropical primates have fared. It also explores ecosystem restoration, sustainable development, and agricultural impact. Biodiversity II reinforces the idea that the conservation of our biological resources is within reach as long as we pool resources; better coordinate the efforts of existing institutionsâ€"museums, universities, and government agenciesâ€"already dedicated to this goal; and enhance support for research, collections, and training. This volume will be important to environmentalists, biologists, ecologists, educators, students, and concerned individuals.

Biodiversity

Download Biodiversity PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Build It Yourself
ISBN 13 : 9781619307513
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (75 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Biodiversity by : Laura Perdew

Download or read book Biodiversity written by Laura Perdew and published by Build It Yourself. This book was released on 2019 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It's a big world out there, and it's populated with millions of different species of plants, animals, and microorganisms! Biodiversity: Explore the Diversity of Life on Earth with Science Activities for Kids introduces middle school readers to the evolution of life on Earth, beginning with the first single-celled organisms that emerged 3.8 billion years ago to the complex multi-celled organisms that exist today and make up the tree of life. Science-minded, hands-on experiments make this a book a fully immersive learning experience!