Tropical Conservation Biology

by Sodhi, Navjot S.; Brook, Barry W.; Bradshaw , Corey J. A.

• ISBN13: 9781405150736
• ISBN10: 1405150734
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-11-28
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

This introductory textbook examines diminishing terrestrial and aquatic habitats in the tropics, covering a broad range of topics including the fate of the coral reefs; the impact of agriculture, urbanization, and logging on habitat depletion; and the effects of fire on plants and animal survival. Includes case studies and interviews with prominent conservation scientists to help situate key concepts in a real world context Covers a broad range of topics including: the fate of the coral reefs; the impact of agriculture, urbanization, and logging on habitat depletion; and the effects of fire on plants and animal survival Highlights conservation successes in the region, and emphasizes the need to integrate social issues, such as human hunger, into a tangible conservation plan Documents the current state of the field as it looks for ways to predict future outcomes and lessen human impact"Sodhi et al. have done a masterful job of compiling a great deal of literature from around the tropical realm, and they have laid out the book in a fruitful and straightforward manner...I plan to use it as a reference and as supplemental reading for several courses and I would encourage others to do the same." Ecology, 90(4), 2009, pp. 1144-1145

Author Biography

Navjot S. Sodhi is Professor at the National University of Singapore. An associate/subject editor of Conservation Biology, the Auk, and Biotropica, Navjot received his PhD from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. A recipient of National Geographic Society grants, he has also spent time as a Bullard Fellow at Harvard University, where he holds an adjunct associate position.

Barry W. Brook is Professor and Director of the Research Institute for Climate Change and Sustainability at the University of Adelaide, Australia. His research interests include climate change, global ecology and extinction dynamics. Barry serves on the editorial boards of Ecological Research and Raffles Bulletin of Zoology and is a member of the Australian Research Council College of Experts and F1000 Biology. In 2006 he was awarded the Fenner Medal by the Australian Academy of Sciences.

Corey J. A. Bradshaw is Associate Professor and Principal Research Fellow at Charles Darwin University, Australia. He earned a doctoral degree from the University of Otago, New Zealand and has extensively researched marine and terrestrial vertebrate populations, with an emphasis on extinction modelling and ecological theory. Corey is an Associate Editor for Journal of Animal Ecology.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Acknowledgements	p. xii
Diminishing Habitats in Regions of High Biodiversity	p. 1
Loss of native habitats	p. 2
Drivers of habitat loss	p. 16
Biodiversity hotspots	p. 27
Summary	p. 31
Further reading	p. 32
Invaluable Losses	p. 33
Environmental filters	p. 33
Precipitation and temperature regulation	p. 37
Water purification	p. 37
Protecting catchments and soils	p. 38
Forests and floods	p. 38
Nitrogen flux	p. 39
Eutrophication	p. 40
Nature's pharmacy and goods	p. 41
Human health and nature	p. 41
Ecosystem services from nature	p. 43
The direct economic value of nature	p. 47
The role of nature in human culture	p. 49
Loss of knowledge	p. 49
Summary	p. 52
Further reading	p. 52
Broken Homes: Tropical Biotas in Fragmented Landscapes	p. 53
Theoretical premises of fragmentation	p. 53
Abiotic and geometric components of fragmentation	p. 56
Biotic effects of fragmentation	p. 56
Long-term fate of fragments	p. 62
Edge effects	p. 63
Vulnerability to fragmentation	p. 66
Importance of matrix	p. 69
Increasing fragment connectivity	p. 69
Summary	p. 71
Further reading	p. 71
Burning Down the House	p. 72
Forest fires	p. 72
Burning savannas	p. 82
Tropical fires in the global context	p. 85
Fire modelling and mitigation	p. 86
Summary	p. 88
Further reading	p. 88
Alien Invaders	p. 89
What are invasive species?	p. 89
Invasive species in tropical realms	p. 94
Managing and controlling invasive species	p. 104
Summary	p. 110
Further reading	p. 110
Human Uses and Abuses of Tropical Biodiversity	p. 111
Bush meat crisis	p. 111
Captivity trade	p. 129
Medicinal and other uses	p. 133
Commercial exploitation	p. 137
Nuisance control	p. 144
Summary	p. 145
Further reading	p. 145
Threats in Three Dimensions: Tropical Aquatic Conservation	p. 146
Tropical fisheries exploitation	p. 146
Coral reefs in peril	p. 155
Marine reserves	p. 164
Megafauna	p. 169
Tropical freshwater ecosystems - water for life	p. 175
Where marine and freshwater habitats merge: coasts and estuaries	p. 183
Summary	p. 185
Further reading	p. 185
Climate Change: Feeling the Tropical Heat	p. 187
Overwhelming evidence for human-mediated climate change	p. 187
Past evidence for climate change effects on tropical biodiversity	p. 189
Effects of recent and projected anthropogenic climate change on tropical biotas	p. 190
Fighting climate change	p. 205
Summary	p. 206
Further reading	p. 207
Lost Without a Trace: the Tropical Extinction Crisis	p. 208
Defining 'extinction'	p. 208
Historic extinctions	p. 209
Extinction rates	p. 209
Case studies of tropical extinctions	p. 212
Extinction lags	p. 213
Extinction drivers	p. 214
Extinction proneness	p. 219
Extinction and the perturbation of ecological processes	p. 228
Biotic resilience	p. 232
The future of tropical biodiversity	p. 237
Summary	p. 238
Further reading	p. 238
Lights at the End of the Tunnel: Conservation Options and Challenges	p. 239
Protected areas are critical for tropical conservation	p. 239
Poor governance as a threat to tropical biodiversity	p. 249
Improving logging practices	p. 252
Livelihoods and conservation	p. 255
Conservation education and advocacy	p. 256
Better technologies	p. 260
Good examples of tropical conservation	p. 260
Organizations assisting with tropical conservation	p. 261
Restoration, reintroductions and urban management	p. 262
Role of sound biological science in tropical conservation	p. 265
Summary	p. 266
Further reading	p. 267
References	p. 268
Index	p. 319
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