A Primer of Conservation Biology

by Primack, Richard B.

• ISBN13: 9780878937325
• ISBN10: 0878937323
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-05-01
• Publisher: Sinauer Associates Inc

Summary

A Primer of Conservation Biology, Second Edition, incorporates background, theory, and examples in a lively and readable text that will appeal to a wide audience and stimulate interest in conservation biology. The book is divided into five chapters, focusing successively on biological diversity and its value, the threats to biological diversity, conservation at the population and species levels, protecting and managing habitats and ecosystems, and human societies and sustainable development. It is appropriate for use in short undergraduate courses in conservation biology, and as a supplemental resource for courses in introductory biology, environmental science, and wildlife management.

Author Biography

Richard B. Primack is a Professor in the Biology Department at Boston University and is currently a Bullard Fellow at Harvard University (1999-2000)

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
Conservation and Biological Diversity	1	(62)
Conservation Biology's Interdisciplinary Approach: A Case Study	2	(4)
Why Is Conservation Biology Needed?	6	(2)
The Philosophical Background of Conservation Biology	8	(2)
What Is Biological Diversity?	10	(16)
Species diversity	12	(1)
Box 1.1 Naming and Classifying Species	13	(2)
Genetic diversity	15	(1)
Community and ecosystem diversity	16	(8)
Measuring biological diversity	24	(2)
Where Is Biological Diversity Found?	26	(7)
Box 1.2 The Origin of New Species	27	(3)
How many species exist worldwide?	30	(3)
Extinction and Economics: Losing Something of Value	33	(5)
Patterns of extinction	33	(2)
Ecological economics	35	(2)
Common property resources	37	(1)
Direct Economic Values	38	(7)
Consumptive use value	38	(2)
Productive use value	40	(5)
Indirect Economic Values	45	(9)
Nonconsumptive use value	45	(6)
Option value	51	(2)
Existence value	53	(1)
Environmental Ethics	54	(5)
Deep ecology	59	(1)
Summary	59	(2)
Suggested Readings	61	(2)
Threats to Biological Diversity	63	(58)
Rates of Extinction	64	(2)
Human-Caused Extinctions	66	(6)
Extinction rates in water and on land	68	(2)
Extinction rates on islands	70	(2)
Island Biogeography and Modern Extinction Rates	72	(3)
Causes of Extinction	75	(39)
Habitat destruction	77	(9)
Habitat fragmentation	86	(5)
Habitat degradation and pollution	91	(10)
Overexploitation	101	(5)
Invasive species	106	(6)
Disease	112	(2)
Vulnerability to Extinction	114	(4)
Summary	118	(1)
Suggested Readings	119	(2)
Conservation at the Population and Species Levels	121	(62)
Conserving Species by Conserving Populations	122	(1)
Small Populations Are Especially Threatened	123	(1)
The Problems of Small Populations	124	(11)
Loss of genetic variability	125	(3)
Effective population size	128	(3)
Demographic variation	131	(2)
Environmental variation and catastrophes	133	(1)
Extinction vortices	134	(1)
Natural History and Ecology	135	(12)
Gathering ecological information	136	(1)
Monitoring populations	137	(4)
Population viability analysis	141	(3)
The metapopulation	144	(3)
Establishment of New Populations	147	(9)
Considerations for successful programs	149	(3)
Social behavior of released animals	152	(1)
Establishing new plant populations	153	(2)
New populations and the law	155	(1)
Ex Situ Conservation Strategies	156	(12)
Zoos	158	(4)
Aquariums	162	(1)
Botanical gardens and arboretums	162	(6)
Conservation Categories of Species	168	(5)
Legal Protection of Species	173	(7)
National laws	173	(3)
International agreements	176	(4)
Summary	180	(1)
Suggested Readings	181	(2)
Conservation at the Community Level	183	(58)
Protected Areas	184	(17)
Existing protected areas	186	(1)
The effectiveness of protected areas	187	(2)
Establishing priorities for protection	189	(9)
International agreements	198	(3)
Designing Protected Areas	201	(9)
Reserve size	203	(2)
Minimizing edge and fragmentation effects	205	(2)
Habitat corridors	207	(2)
Landscape ecology and park design	209	(1)
Managing Protected Areas	210	(10)
Habitat management	213	(3)
Park management and people	216	(4)
Outside Protected Areas	220	(7)
African wildlife outside parks	220	(2)
Strategies for success	222	(3)
Ecosystem management	225	(2)
Restoration Ecology	227	(5)
Restoration ecology in practice	231	(1)
Main Candidates for Ecological Restoration	232	(6)
Wetlands	232	(1)
Lakes	233	(1)
Urban areas	234	(1)
Prairies	235	(1)
Tropical dry forests	236	(2)
Restoration Ecology and the Future of Conservation	238	(1)
Summary	238	(1)
Suggested Readings	239	(2)
Conservation and Sustainable Development	241	(40)
Government Action	243	(4)
Local legislation	243	(3)
National legislation	246	(1)
Traditional Societies and Sustainable Development	247	(12)
Conservation ethics of traditional societies	249	(1)
Local people and their governments	250	(2)
Biological diversity and cultural diversity	252	(2)
Conservation efforts involving traditional societies	254	(5)
International Approaches to Conservation and Sustainable Development	259	(11)
The Earth Summit	259	(3)
Funding sustainable development programs	262	(1)
International funding	262	(1)
Funding in developing countries	263	(2)
International development banks and ecosystem damage	265	(1)
Development lending gone awry: Case studies	266	(2)
Reforming development lending	268	(2)
An Agenda for the Future	270	(5)
The role of conservation biologists	275	(3)
Summary	278	(1)
Suggested Readings	279	(2)
Appendix: Selected Environmental Organizations and Sources of Information	281	(4)
Bibliography	285	(20)
Index	305