Synopses & Reviews
The conservation and management of wild natural resources stands at a crossroads. On the one hand, there are the stunning successes of the focus of species, of which the protection of endangered species is the pinnacle. On the other hand, stands the need for conservation to embrace landscapes and ecosystems, and to be more anticipatory and forward looking, rather than responding to manifest endangerment and acute crisis. These needs are the emerging agenda of conservation ecology. To advance the internal agenda of the science, theories, models, and field studies of populations and ecosystems will need to be better integrated. The book attempts to bring these two aspects of ecology closer together in conservation. A new paradigm in ecology paves the way for this integration. The parallel changes in conservation can also enhance the synthesis between ecology and conservation practice. The book explores a broad range of targets for conservation, illustrating the value of the new syntheses. Furthermore, the contributors evaluate the role of theory, and of both familiar and novel types of models, to indicate how such tools can be employed over the range of scales and processes that conservation must now address. The book contains diverse practical examples and case studies of how the new thinking in ecology, and the new partnerships required for more successful conservation, actually work and can be improved. The examples range from freshwater to arid, and from subtropical to boreal. The strongest use of science in conservation requires effective linkage between science and policy, and between science and management. The land ethic motivates the external agenda for science and its application and the resulting activity of scientists in the public discourse. Recommendations for the scope and nature of scientific engagement in the public debate are presented. Interactions with the media and presentation of ecological information to the public are key tools scientists must hone. Analysis of the practical needs and the policy landscape suggest priorities for management and for research. The external agenda to be addressed by science and its application is the complex interaction of human population size, culture, and economics with ecological systems.
Review
`... this book is of great value for anyone interested in ecology or conservation science. It should be on the bookshelves of many libraries at universities, research institutes, management planning agencies to give the opportunity for regular consultation.' Abstracta Botanica, 22 (199)
Synopsis
From its inception, the U.S. Department of the Interior has been charged with a conflicting mission. One set of statutes demands that the department must develop America's lands, that it get our trees, water, oil, and minerals out into the marketplace. Yet an opposing set of laws orders us to conserve these same resources, to preserve them for the long term and to consider the noncommodity values of our public landscape. That dichotomy, between rapid exploitation and long-term protection, demands what I see as the most significant policy departure of my tenure in office: the use of science-interdisciplinary science-as the primary basis for land management decisions. For more than a century, that has not been the case. Instead, we have managed this dichotomy by compartmentalizing the American landscape. Congress and my predecessors handled resource conflicts by drawing enclosures: "We'll create a national park here," they said, "and we'll put a wildlife refuge over there." Simple enough, as far as protection goes. And outside those protected areas, the message was equally simplistic: "Y'all come and get it. Have at it." The nature and the pace of the resource extraction was not at issue; if you could find it, it was yours.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 405-452) and index.
Table of Contents
Foreword: B. Babbit. Preface. Contributors. Participants. I. Introduction: The needs for a comprehensive conservation theory; Chapter 1: Defining the scientific issues-- R.S. Ostfeld, S.T.A. Pickett, M. Shachak and G.E. Likens. Chapter 2: Part 1. Science, Conservation, Policy, and the Public-- G. L. Glickman; Part 2. Providing the scientific information that conservation practitioners need-- H. Pulliam; Part 3. A policy perspective on biodiversity protection and ecosystem management. Chapter 3: Conservation and human population growth: what are the linkages?-- J. E. Cohen. Chapter 4: Developing an analytical context for multispecies conservation planning-- B. Noon, K. McKelvey, and D. Murphy. Chapter5: Operationalizing ecology under a new paradigm: An african perspective-- K. H. Rogers. II. Foundations for a comprehensive conservation theory Themes-- S.T.A. Pickett, R.S. Ostfeld, M. Shachak & G.E. Likens CHapter 6: The paradigm shift in ecology and its implications for conservation-- P. Fielder, P.S. White and R. Leidy; Chapter 7:The emerging role of patchiness in conservation biology--J. A. Wiens; Chapter 8:Linking ecological understanding and application: patchiness in a dryland system--M. Shachak and S.T.A. Pickett. III. Biodiversity and its ecological linkages Themes-- R.S. Ostfeld, S.T.A. Pickett, M. Shackhak & G.E. Likens. Chapter 9: The evaluation of biodiversity as a target for conservation-- M. P. Nott and S. Pimm; Chapter 10: Conserving ecosystem function--J.L.Meyer; Chapter 11:The relationship between patchiness and biodiversity in terrestial systems--L. Hansson; Chapter 12: Re-evaluating the use of models to predict the consequences of habitat loss and fragmentation-- P. Kareiva, D. Skelly, and M. Ruckelshaus; Chapter 13: Managing for heterogeneity and complexity on dynamic landscapes-- N. Christensen, Jr.; Chapter 14:Toward a resolution of conflicting paradigms--S. Tartowski; Chapter 15:The land ethic of aldo leopold--A. C. Leopold. IV: Towards a new conservation theory. Themes-- R.S. Ostfeld, S.T.A. Pickett, M. Shackhak & G.E. Likens Chapter 16:The future of conservation biology: What's a geneticist to do?-- K. E. Holsinger and P. Vitt; Chapter 17: Habitat destruction and metapopulation dynamics-- I. Hanski; Chapter 18: How viable is population viability analysis?-- K. Ralls and B. L. Taylor Chapter 19: Reserve design and the new conservation theory-- N.E. Barrett and J. P. Barrett Chapter 20:Ecosystem processes do?-- J.J. Ewel; Chapter 21:Measurement scales and ecosystem management-- D.R. Gordon, L. Provencher, and J.L. Hardesty; Chapter 22:Biogeographic approaches and the new conservation biology-- D. Simberloff; Chapter 23: Conserving interaction biodiversity--J.N. Thompson. V. The applications of conservation ecology Themes-- R.S. Ostfeld, S.T.A. Pickett, M. Shachak and G.E. Likens. Chapter 24: State-dependent decision analysis for conservation biology-- H.P. Possingham; Chapter 25: Expanding scientific research programs to address conservation challenges in freshwater ecosystems-- C. M. Pringle; Chapter 26: Standard procedures for implementing ecosytem management on public lands-- R.S. Peters, D. M. Waller, B. Noon, S.T.A. Pickett, D. Murphy, J. Cracraft, R. Kiester, W. Kuhlmann, O. Houck, and W. J. Snape, III; Chapter 27: Whatever it takes for conservation: the case for alteratives analysis-- M.H. O'Brien; Chapter 28: Conservation activism: a proper role for academics?-- J. Zedler; Chapter 29: Getting ecological paradigms into the political debate: or will the messenger be shot?-- G. O'Neill and P. Attiwill. VI. Synthesis and a forward look Themes-- R.S. Ostfeld, S.T.A. Pickett, M. Shachak and G.E. Likens. Chapter 30: A summary of the sixth cary conference-- T.E. Lovejoy; Chapter 31: The linkages between ecology and conservation-- L.M. Talbot; Chapter 32: The central scientific challenge for conservation biology-- J. Harte; Chapter 33: Towards a comprehensive conservation theory-- S.T.A. Pickett, M. Shachak, R.S. Ostfeld, and G.E. Likens. Epilogue: A vision of the future--J.E. Cohen. Index.