Old fields : dynamics and restoration of abandoned farmland / edited by Viki A. Cramer and Richard J. Hobbs.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Cramer, Viki A.

Hobbs, R. J. (Richard J.)

Society for Ecological Restoration International.

Series:

Science and practice of ecological restoration.

The science and practice of ecological restoration

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Abandoned farms.

Reclamation of land.

Restoration ecology.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (346 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Washington : Island Press, c2007.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Land abandonment is increasing as human influence on the globe intensifies and various ecological, social, and economic factors conspire to force the cessation of agriculture and other forms of land management. The "old fields" that result from abandonment have been the subject of much study, yet few attempts have been made to examine the larger questions raised by old field dynamics.Old Fields brings together leading experts from around the world to synthesize past and current work on old fields, providing an up-to-date perspective on the ecological dynamics of abandoned land. The book gives readers a broad understanding of why agricultural land is abandoned, the factors that determine the ecological recovery of old fields, and how this understanding contributes to theoretical and applied ecology.Twelve case studies from diverse geographical and climatic areas-including Australian rainforest, Brazilian Amazonia, New Jersey piedmont, and South African renosterveld-offer a global perspective on the causes and results of land abandonment. Concluding chapters consider the similarities and differences among the case studies, examine them in the context of ecological concepts, and discuss their relevance to the growing field of restoration ecology.Old Fields is the first book to draw together studies on old fields from both a theoretical and practical perspective. It represents an important contribution to the development of theory on old field dynamics and the practice of ecological restoration on abandoned farmland, and the broader implications of old field dynamics to ecology and restoration.

Contents:

1. Why old fields? : the socioeconomic and ecological causes and consequences of land abandonment / Richard J. Hobbs and Viki A. Cramer

pt. 1. Old fields and the development of ecological concepts

2. Old field succession : development of concepts / Richard J. Hobbs and Lawrence R. Walker

3. Old fields as complex systems : new concepts for describing the dynamics of abandoned farmland / Viki A. Cramer

pt. 2. Case studies from around the world

4. Implications of land use history for natural forest regeneration and restoration strategies in Puerto Rico / Jess K. Zimmerman, T. Mitchell Aide, and Ariel E. Lugo

5. Processes affecting succession in old fields of Brazilian Amazonia / Gislene Ganade

6. Old field vegetation succession in the neotropics / Karen D. Holl

7. Patterns and processes of old field reforestation in Australian rain forest landscapes / Peter D. Erskine, Carla P. Catterall, David Lamb, and John Kanowski

8. Succession on the Piedmont of New Jersey and its implications for ecological restoration / Scott J. Meiners, Mary L. Cadenasso, and Steward T.A. Pickett

9. Succession and restoration in Michigan old field communities / Katherine L. Gross and Sarah M. Emery

10. Old field succession in central Europe : local and regional patterns / Karel Prach, Jan Leps, and Marcel Rejmanek

11. Dynamics and restoration of abandoned farmland and other old fields in southern France / Pascal Marty, James Aronson, and Jacques Lepart

12. Land abandonment and old field dynamics in Greece / Vasilios P. Papanastasis

13. Old field dynamics on the dry side of the Mediterranean Basin : patterns and processes in semiarid southeast Spain / Andreu Bonet and Juli G. Pausas

14. Restoration of old fields in Renosterveld : a case study in a Mediterranean-type shrubland of South Africa / Cornelia B. Krug and Rainer M. Krug

15. Prospects for the recovery of native vegetation in western Australian old fields / Viki A. Cramer, Rachel J. Standish, and Richard J. Hobbs

pt. 3. Synthesis : old field dynamics and restoration

16. Old field dynamics : regional and local differences, and lessons for ecology and restoration / Richard J. Hobbs and Viki A. Cramer.

Notes:

"Society for Ecological Restoration International."

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-55963-353-0

1-61091-098-2

1-4356-9977-7

OCLC:

427507208