Living in a Dynamic Tropical Forest Landscape

by Stork, Nigel; Turton, Stephen M.

• ISBN13: 9781444300321
• ISBN10: 1444300326
• Edition: 1st
• Format: eBook
• Copyright: 2009-02-02
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

This book brings together a wealth of scientific findings and ecological knowledge to survey what we have learned about the “Wet Tropics” rainforests of North Queensland, Australia. This interdisciplinary text is the first book to provide such a holistic view of any tropical forest environment, including the social and economic dimensions.

• The most thorough assessment of a tropical forest landscape to date
  
• Explores significant scientific breakthroughs in areas including conservation genetics, vegetation modeling, agroforestry and revegetation techniques, biodiversity assessment and modeling, impacts of climate change, and the integration of science in natural resource management
  
• Research achieved, in part, due to the Cooperative Research Centre for Tropical Rainforest Ecology and Management (the Rainforest CRC)
  
• Written by a number of distinguished international experts
  
• contains chapter summaries and section commentaries

Author Biography

Nigel Stork is Head of School of Resource Management and Geography and Head of the Burnley Campus at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Formerly the CEO of the Cooperative Research Centre for Tropical Rainforest Ecology and Management and Founder of the Australian Canopy Crane, he has studied tropical forest ecology and insect diversity in many tropical regions of the world with particular interest in the magnitude and decline of global biodiversity.

Stephen Turton is Professor and Executive Director of the Australian Tropical Forest Institute at Cook University in Cairns, Australia. Previously, he was Director of Research for the Rainforest Cooperative Research Centre. His research and teaching interests include tropical climatology, rainforest ecology, urban ecology, recreation ecology and natural resource management.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Peter H. Raven.

Introduction. Stork & Turton.

1. Australian forests in a global context. Stork & Turton.

SECTION 1: HISTORY AND BIODIVERSITY OF THE WET TROPICS – LEAD EDITOR NIGEL STORK.

2. The synoptic meteorology of high rainfalls and the storm run-off response in the Wet Tropics. Bonell & Callaghan.

3. Impacts of tropical cyclones on forests in the Wet Tropics of Australia. Turton & Stork.

4. Aboriginal cultures in the Wet Tropics. Pannell .

5. European settlement and its impact on the Wet Tropics region. David Turton .

6. The establishment of a World Heritage Area. Valentine & Hill.

7. The nature of rainforest tourism: Insights from a tourism social science research program. Philip L. Pearce.

8. The dynamic forest landscape of the Australian Wet Tropics: Present, past and future. David W. Hilbert.

9. Floristics and plant biodiversity of the rainforests of the Wet Tropics. Metcalfe & Ford.

10. Towards an understanding of vertebrate biodiversity in the Australian Wet Tropics. Williams et al .

11. Origins and maintenance of freshwater fish biodiversity in the Wet Tropics region. Pusey et al .

12. Diversity of invertebrates in Wet Tropics streams: Patterns and processes. Connolly et al .

13. The invertebrate fauna of the Wet Tropics: Diversity, endemism and relationships. Yeates & Monteith.

14. International Perspective: Future of biodiversity in the Wet Tropics. Kikkawa .

SECTION 2: ECOLOGICAL PROCESSES AND OTHER ECOSYSTEM SERVICES – LEAD EDITOR NIGEL STORK.

15. Hydrological processes in the tropical rainforests of Australia. McJannet et al.

16. Seed dispersal processes in Australia’s tropical rainforests. Westcott et al.

17. Floral morphology, phenology and pollination in the Wet Tropics. Boulter et al.

18. Services and disservices from insects in agricultural landscapes of the Atherton Tableland. Cunningham & Blanche.

19. Economic approaches to the value of tropical rainforests. Curtis .

20. International Perspectives: Ecological processes and ecosystem services in the Wet Tropics. Wright .

SECTION 3: THREATS TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES OF THE WET TROPICS – LEAD EDITOR STEVE TURTON.

21. Impacts of climate variability and climate change on the Wet Tropics of North Eastern Australia. Balston .

22. The impact of climate change on the biodiversity and ecosystem functions of the Wet Tropics. Williams et al.

23.Impacts of habitat fragmentation and linear clearings on Australian rainforest biota. Laurance & M. Goosem.

24. Invasive weeds in the Wet Tropics. S. Goosem.

25. Vertebrate pests of the Wet Tropics bioregion: Current Status and Future Trends. Congdon & Harrison .

26. Applications of high resolution remote sensing in rainforest ecology and management. Gillieson et al .

27. Environmental impacts of tourism and recreation in the Wet Tropics. Turton & Stork .

28. International Perspective: Conservation research in the Australian Wet Tropics. Laurance .

SECTION 4: LIVING IN A WORLD HERITAGE AREA – LEAD EDITOR STEVE TURTON.

29. The Wet Tropics conservation strategy: Conservation in a community context. Clarke.

30. Cultural landscapes in the Wet Tropics. Pannell .

31. Encountering a World Heritage Landscape: Community and visitor perspectives and experiences. Bentrupperbäumer & Reser .

32. Integrating effort for regional natural resource outcomes: the Wet Tropics experience. Dale et al .

33. “Getting the mob in”: Indigenous initiatives in a new era of NRM in Australia. Pannell .

34. Framing and researching the impacts of visitation and use in protected areas. Reser & Bentrupperbäumer.

35. Linking cultural and natural diversity of global significance to vibrant economies. Hill .

36. Rethinking road ecology. M. Goosem.

37. International Perspective: Living in a World Heritage Landscape. McNeely .

SECTION 5: RESTORING TROPICAL FOREST LANDSCAPES – LEAD EDITOR NIGEL STORK.

38. Forest restoration at a landscape scale. Lamb & Erskine.

39. Restoration in north Queensland: Recent advances in the science and practice of tropical rainforest restoration. Tucker .

40. Rainforest restoration for biodiversity and the production of timber. Wardell-Johnson et al .

41. Biodiversity and new forests: interacting processes, prospects and pitfalls of rainforest restoration. Catterall et al .

42. Monitoring the outcomes of reforestation for biodiversity conservation. Kanowski et al.

43. The future for forest-based industries in the Wet Tropics. Harrison & Herbohn .

44. International Perspective: Restoring tropical forest landscapes: restoring what and for whom? Sayer .

SECTION 6 SCIENCE INFORMING POLICY AND CONSERVATION AND MAMAGENMENT OF TROPICAL FORESTS – LEAD EDITOR NIGEL STORK.

45. Catchment to reef: Water quality and ecosystem health in tropical streams. Pearson & Stork.

46. A preliminary assessment of priority areas for plant biodiversity conservation in the Wet Tropics bioregion. K. Williams et al.

47. New tools for monitoring World Heritage values. Phinn .

48. Rainforest science and its application. Goosem .

49. Lessons for other tropical forest landscapes. Stork et al.

Acronyms and Abbreviations.

Index