This 1977 book analyses and describes the wild flora and fauna of Britain and identifies important sites that exemplify this rich heritage.

This 1977 book analyses and describes the wild flora and fauna of Britain and identifies important sites that exemplify this rich heritage.

Choice Outstanding Academic Title 2014 While few detailed surveys of fauna or flora exist in England from the period before the nineteenth century, it is possible to combine the evidence of historical sources (ranging from game books, diaries, churchwardens' accounts and even folk songs) and our wider knowledge of past land use and landscape, with contemporary analyses made by modern natural scientists, in order to model the situation at various times and places in the more remote past. This timely volume encompasses both rural and urban environments from 1650 to the mid-twentieth century, drawing on a wide variety of social, historical and ecological sources. It examines the impact of social and economic organisation on the English landscape, biodiversity, the agricultural revolution, landed estates, the coming of large-scale industry and the growth of towns and suburbs. It also develops an original perspective on the complexity and ambiguity of man/animal relationships in this post-medieval period.

This 1980 volume explains the procedures of the IBP 'check-sheet' survey, which gathered information on how to protect sites and species for future scientific study.

Continuing concern about water supply and quality, ecosystem sustainability and restoration demands that the modern approach to the management of lakes and reservoirs should be based on a sound understanding of the application of the scientific and ecological principles that underlie freshwater processes. The Lakes Handbook provides an up-to-date overview of the application of ecologically sound approaches, methods and tools using experience gained around the world for an understanding of lakes and their management. Volume one of the Handbook addresses the physical and biological aspects of lakes pertinent to lake management, emphasising those aspects particularly relevant to large, still bodies of water. Volume two then considers lake management, with particular emphasis on sustainability, restoration and rehabilitation. This handbook will be invaluable to ecologists, environmental scientists, physical geographers and hydrologists involved in limnological research, as well as advanced undergraduate and graduate students looking for authoritative reviews of the key areas of limnological study.

British Plant Communities is the first systematic and comprehensive account of the vegetation types of this country. It covers all natural, semi-natural and major artificial habitats in Great Britain (but not Northern Ireland), representing the fruits of fifteen years of research by leading plant ecologists. The book breaks new ground in wedding the rigorous interest in the classification of plant communities that has characterized Continental phytosociology with the deep concern traditional in Great Britain to understand how vegetation works. The published volumes have been greeted with universal acclaim, and the series has become firmly established as a framework for a wide variety of teaching, research and management activities in ecology, conservation and land-use planning.

Encyclopedia of the World’s Biomes is a unique, five volume reference that provides a global synthesis of biomes, including the latest science. All of the book's chapters follow a common thematic order that spans biodiversity importance, principal anthropogenic stressors and trends, changing climatic conditions, and conservation strategies for maintaining biomes in an increasingly human-dominated world. This work is a one-stop shop that gives users access to up-to-date, informative articles that go deeper in content than any currently available publication. Offers students and researchers a one-stop shop for information currently only available in scattered or non-technical sources Authored and edited by top scientists in the field Concisely written to guide the reader though the topic Includes meaningful illustrations and suggests further reading for those needing more specific information

These best practice guidelines present the type and level of detail required for describing and evaluating the ecological baseline of an environmental assessment. These assessments are vital in determining whether or not there are issues of ecological importance for a site or proposed development and are an essential component of the environmental impact assessment process.

The future of the world's forests is at the forefront of environmental debate. Rising concerns over the effects of deforestation and climate change are highlighting the need both to conserve and manage existing forests and woodland through sustainable forestry practices. The Forests Handbook, written by an international team of both scientists and practitioners, presents an integrated approach to forests and forestry, applying our present understanding of forest science to management practices, as a basis for achieving sustainability. Volume One presents an overview of the world's forests; their locations and what they are like, the science of how they operate as complex ecosystems and how they interact with their environment. Volume Two applies this science to reality; it focuses on forestry interventions and their impact, the principles governing how to protect forests and on how we can better harness the enormous benefits forests offer. Case studies are drawn from several different countries and are used to illustrate the key points. Development specialists, forest managers and those involved with land and land-use will find this handbook a valuable and comprehensive overview of forest science and forestry practice. Researchers and students of forestry, biology, ecology and geography will find it equally accessible and useful.

The Cairngorms area is arguably the most significant for nature conservation in the British Isles and contains its largest National Park. In this book, 35 authors, drawing on published and unpublished sources, present an up-to-date review of the area's natural features, including plants, animals, habitats, geology and landforms. The review falls into three parts. The first and largest part describes the area's rich diversity of nature, with each chapter summarising recent research findings, trends and conservation issues for a different landform, habitat or species group. The second part considers deer management, recreation and projected climate change impacts. Part three focuses on rare and threatened species, and identifies areas and habitats rich in species for which the Cairngorms are nationally and internationally important.