Precious heritage : the status of biodiversity in the United States / edited by Bruce A. Stein, Lynn S. Kutner, Jonathan S. Adams ; graphics by Nicole S. Rousmaniere.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Adams, Jonathan S.

Kutner, Lynn S.

Stein, Bruce A., 1955-

Association for Biodiversity Information.

Nature Conservancy (U.S.)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Biodiversity conservation--United States.

Biodiversity conservation.

Conservation of natural resources--United States.

Conservation of natural resources.

Physical Description:

xxv, 399 p. : col. ill., maps (some col.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, c2000.

Summary:

From the lush forests of Appalachia to the frozen tundra of Alaska, from the Midwest's prairies to Hawaii's rainforests, the United States harbors a remarkable array of ecosystems, which in turn sustain an enormous variety of plant and animal life. A celebration of this extraordinary biological wealth, Precious Heritage draws together for the first time a quarter century of information collected by the network of natural heritage programs. This richly illustrated volume not only documents the enormous breadth of U.S. biodiversity, but also considers how our species and ecosystems are faring, what is threatening them, and what is needed to protect the nation's natural inheritance.

Contents:

Intro

Contents

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

Contributors

Participating Institutions

1 BIODIVERSITY: OUR PRECIOUS HERITAGE

2 DISCOVERING LIFE IN AMERICA: TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES OF BIODIVERSITY INVENTORY

3 A REMARKABLE ARRAY: SPECIES DIVERSITY IN THE UNITED STATES

4 VANISHING ASSETS: CONSERVATION STATUS OF U.S. SPECIES

5 STATE OF THE STATES: GEOGRAPHIC PATTERNS OF DIVERSITY, RARITY, AND ENDEMISM

6 THE GEOGRAPHY OF IMPERILMENT: TARGETING CONSERVATION TOWARD CRITICAL BIODIVERSITY AREAS

7 MORE THAN THE SUM OF THE PARTS: DIVERSITY AND STATUS OF ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

8 LEADING THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY: WHAT'S IMPERILING U.S. SPECIES

9 STRATEGIES FOR BIODIVERSITY PROTECTION

10 OWNING UP TO OUR RESPONSIBILITIES: WHO OWNS LANDS IMPORTANT FOR BIODIVERSITY?

11 SAFEGUARDING OUR PRECIOUS HERITAGE

Appendix A: Extinct and Missing Species of the United States

Appendix B: State Diversity, Endemism, and Rarity

Appendix C: Küchler Potential Natural Vegetation Types

Appendix D: Principal Sources for U.S. Species Names in the Natural Heritage Central Databases

Literature Cited

Index

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

Y

Z.

Notes:

"A joint project of the Nature Conservancy & Association for Biodiversity Information."

Includes bibliographical references (p. [347]-366).

Description based on metadata supplied by the publisher and other sources.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

0-19-802896-2

9786610830916

0-19-756133-0

1-280-83091-3

OCLC:

429904935