Bird versus bulldozer : a quarter-century conservation battle in a biodiversity hotspot / Audrey L. Mayer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mayer, Audrey L., 1972- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Coastal ecology--California.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xvi, 296 pages)

Place of Publication:

New Haven ; London : Yale University Press, [2021]

Summary:

An examination of the struggle to conserve biodiversity in urban regions, told through the story of the threatened coastal California gnatcatcher The story of the rare coastal California gnatcatcher is a parable for understanding the larger ongoing struggle to conserve biodiversity in regions confronted with intensifying urban development. Because this gnatcatcher depends on vanishing coastal sage scrub in Southern California, it has been regarded as a flagship species for biodiversity protection since the early 1990s. But the uncertainty of the gnatcatcher's taxonomic classification-and whether it can be counted as a "listable unit" under the Endangered Species Act-has provoked contentious debate among activists, scientists, urban developers, and policy makers. Synthesizing insights from ecology, environmental history, public policy analysis, and urban planning as she tracks these debates over the course of the past twenty-five years, Audrey L. Mayer presents an ultimately optimistic take on the importance of much-neglected regional conservation planning strategies to create sustainable urban landscapes that benefit humans and wildlife alike.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

1 Setting the Scene

2 Essence of a California Gnatcatcher

3 Population Trends and Current Threats

4 California Gnatcatcher Taxonomy

5 The Gnatcatcher and the ESA

6 NCCP to the Rescue

7 Is the NCCP Policy a Success?

8 Concrete Jungles and Granite Gardens

Epilogue

Notes

Index

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

Includes index.

ISBN:

0-300-25860-7

OCLC:

1237410858