A primer of conservation biology / Richard B. Primack.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Primack, Richard B., 1950-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Conservation biology.

Conservation of Natural Resources.

Medical Subjects:

Conservation of Natural Resources.

Physical Description:

xiii, 319 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Edition:

Second edition.

Place of Publication:

Sunderland, Mass. : Sinauer Associates, Publishers, 2000.

Summary:

A Primer of Conservation Biology, Second Edition, incorporates background, theory, and examples in a lively and readable text that will appeal to a wide audience and stimulate interest in conservation biology. The book is divided into five chapters, focusing successively 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. It is appropriate for use in short undergraduate courses in conservation biology, and as a supplemental resource for courses in introductory biology, environmental science, and wildlife management.

Contents:

1. Conservation and Biological Diversity 1

Conservation Biology's Interdisciplinary Approach: A Case Study 2

Why Is Conservation Biology Needed? 6

The Philosophical Background of Conservation Biology 8

What Is Biological Diversity? 10

Species diversity 12

Box 1.1 Naming and Classifying Species 13

Genetic diversity 15

Community and ecosystem diversity 16

Measuring biological diversity 24

Where Is Biological Diversity Found? 26

Box 1.2 The Origin of New Species 27

How many species exist worldwide? 30

Extinction and Economics: Losing Something of Value 33

Patterns of extinction 33

Ecological economics 35

Common property resources 37

Direct Economic Values 38

Consumptive use value 38

Productive use value 40

Indirect Economic Values 45

Nonconsumptive use value 45

Option value 51

Existence value 53

Environmental Ethics 54

Deep ecology 59

2. Threats to Biological Diversity 63

Rates of Extinction 64

Human-Caused Extinctions 66

Extinction rates in water and on land 68

Extinction rates on islands 70

Island Biogeography and Modern Extinction Rates 72

Causes of Extinction 75

Habitat destruction 77

Habitat fragmentation 86

Habitat degradation and pollution 91

Overexploitation 101

Invasive species 106

Disease 112

Vulnerability to Extinction 114

3. Conservation at the Population and Species Levels 121

Conserving Species by Conserving Populations 122

Small Populations Are Especially Threatened 123

The Problems of Small Populations 124

Loss of genetic variability 125

Effective population size 128

Demographic variation 131

Environmental variation and catastrophes 133

Extinction vortices 134

Natural History and Ecology 135

Gathering ecological information 136

Monitoring populations 137

Population viability analysis 141

The metapopulation 144

Establishment of New Populations 147

Considerations for successful programs 149

Social behavior of released animals 152

Establishing new plant populations 153

New populations and the law 155

Ex Situ Conservation Strategies 156

Zoos 158

Aquariums 162

Botanical gardens and arboretums 162

Conservation Categories of Species 168

Legal Protection of Species 173

National laws 173

International agreements 176

4. Conservation at the Community Level 183

Protected Areas 184

Existing protected areas 186

The effectiveness of protected areas 187

Establishing priorities for protection 189

International agreements 198

Designing Protected Areas 201

Reserve size 203

Minimizing edge and fragmentation effects 205

Habitat corridors 207

Landscape ecology and park design 209

Managing Protected Areas 210

Habitat management 213

Park management and people 216

Outside Protected Areas 220

African wildlife outside parks 220

Strategies for success 222

Ecosystem management 225

Restoration Ecology 227

Restoration ecology in practice 231

Main Candidates for Ecological Restoration 232

Wetlands 232

Lakes 233

Urban areas 234

Prairies 235

Tropical dry forests 236

Restoration Ecology and the Future of Conservation 238

5. Conservation and Sustainable Development 241

Government Action 243

Local legislation 243

National legislation 246

Traditional Societies and Sustainable Development 247

Conservation ethics of traditional societies 249

Local people and their governments 250

Biological diversity and cultural diversity 252

Conservation efforts involving traditional societies 254

International Approaches to Conservation and Sustainable Development 259

The Earth Summit 259

Funding sustainable development programs 262

International funding 262

Funding in developing countries 263

International development banks and ecosystem damage 265

Development lending gone awry: Case studies 266

Reforming development lending 268

An Agenda for the Future 270

The role of conservation biologists 275

Appendix Selected Environmental Organizations and Sources of Information 281.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0878937323

OCLC:

43657131