Publisher Summary: This handbook provides a state-of-the-art, comprehensive overview of the expanding field of urban biodiversity. The field of urban biodiversity has emerged from within the broad discipline of urban ecology in the past two decades and is now a significant field in its own right. In view of this, the Routledge Handbook of Urban Biodiversity presents a thorough treatment of this field detailing the history of urban biodiversity, theoretical foundations, current state of knowledge, and application of that knowledge. The handbook is split into four parts: Part I: Setting the Stage for Urban Biodiversity Research and Practice Part II: Foundational Concepts and Theory in Urban Biodiversity Research Part III: Population and Community Ecology of Key Urban Taxa Part IV: Urban Biodiversity Practice: Management, Planning, and Design for Healthy Communities This volume contains interdisciplinary and global contributions from established and early career academics as well as professionals and practitioners, addressing two key fields in urban biodiversity: fundamental research focused on answering questions about the mechanisms explaining the distribution of species among and within cities; and applied research and work by practitioners to address concerns about urban biodiversity conservation, restoration, planning, design, and public involvement. This handbook is essential reading for students, academics, and professionals interested and working in the fields of urban biodiversity, ecology, nature conservation, urban planning, and landscape architecture.

Publisher Summary: This comprehensive handbook represents a definitive state of the art overview of grasslands from multiple, interdisciplinary and global perspectives. Despite the real and intrinsic values that grasslands offer, they are globally subject to fragmentation, habitat and species loss, and they are increasingly threatened by climate change. From a human societal perspective, grasslands are central to much of our culture and represent areas where agriculture first arose. The Routledge Handbook of Grasslands brings together an interdisciplinary team of global authors to present a much needed and vitally important overview of the new and ongoing debates around the values of and threats to grasslands. Reflecting the broad range of issues, debates and threats, the handbook is divided into five parts: Part I: Deep Roots, Dynamic Futures: Understanding the Science of Grasslands Part II: Living Complexity: Grassland Function, Biodiversity, and Renewal Part III: Working Landscapes: Innovation and Tradition in Grassland Stewardship Part IV: Social-Ecological Ties: Grassland Services, Justice, and Governance Part V: Landscapes of Meaning: Cultural and Creative Perspectives on Grasslands Drawing on the experience of researchers, practitioners and managers, the handbook is the only grassland-oriented text to include social, economic, policy, and cultural value dimensions of grasslands, as well as an up-to-date coverage of the agronomy and ecology of these environments. The handbook concludes with a forward-thinking chapter which discusses the future of grasslands, further directions, threats and innovations. The Routledge Handbook of Grasslands is essential reading for students and scholars of grassland ecology, management and conservation as well as policy and management practitioners involved in grassland management and governance, as well as natural resources more broadly.

Publisher Summary: The Routledge Handbook of Wildlife Crime provides a comprehensive and state-of-the-art overview of wildlife crime in its various forms. The effects of wildlife crime and overexploitation are contributing to the possible extinction of one million species. These activities also harm human and nonhuman animals, ecosystems, and communities. To understand and tackle these issues, this handbook presents critical approaches to the study of wildlife crime grounded in empirical, methodological, and conceptual perspectives. Curated for an international audience of researchers, practitioners, and policymakers, its contributors are drawn from diverse disciplines, backgrounds, and geographies. The handbook addresses recognised challenges associated with wildlife crime, including transnational security, the role of corporations, legislative frameworks, and enforcement strategies, as well as broader concerns related to conservation, sustainable development, socio-environmental harm, and well-being. Importantly, it also delves into emerging areas, such as gender dynamics, digital markets and social media, social inequality and the marginalisation of vulnerable groups, and moral philosophy and ethics. This handbook equips readers to understand and respond to the multifaceted challenges of wildlife crime in the 21st century. The Routledge Handbook of Wildlife Crime will be of great interest to students and scholars of wildlife crime, wildlife management and conservation, environmental crime, and green criminology more widely. The book will also be of use to practitioners and policymakers involved in developing and implementing strategies to reduce wildlife crime.

Publisher Summary: This handbook provides a comprehensive and interdisciplinary overview of the place, value and significance of wetlands, presenting perspectives from across the environmental and social sciences. Recent decades have witnessed unprecedented global interest in wetlands and the critical role they play in supporting biodiversity and ecosystem services such as carbon storage, flood mitigation, as well as their direct benefits for people and society that include the provision of food, clean water and a range of cultural services. This Routledge Handbook of Wetlands brings together a wide range of perspectives from social and environmental disciplines, and voices from different wetland stakeholders from the global north and south, to present an assessment of our current understanding of wetlands, their environmental significance, and their place in society and policy. A recurring theme of the book is an exploration of how our current knowledge of wetlands, that is often fragmented along traditional disciplinary lines, can be brought together to enable a more integrated, interdisciplinary and social-ecological conceptualisation that aligns more closely with real-world complex challenges, and which offers new directions in wetland management for sustainable development. This handbook will be essential reading for students and scholars of wetland management, environmental science, water resource management, conservation ecology, environmental humanities and sustainable development.

Publisher Summary: Animals have tremendous agency to understand the world around them and to plan how to best take advantage of that world to meet their requirements. Their perception of the world differs from humans' and includes knowledge emphasising different senses. This book argues that, to understand animals' home ranges, which are integral to the behaviour and ecology of animals, biologists must understand their cognition of their environments. Presenting diverse, complementary approaches to studying home ranges, this book shows how using multiple approaches sheds a broad light on how and why animals behave as they do. The book also provides many examples showing how hypothesis-driven research provides strong insights into animal behaviour and ecology.

Publisher Summary: In a world where threats of cataclysmic extinction loom and sustainable harvest approaches are essential, applied population ecology has never been more crucial. Conservation of Wildlife Populations, 3rd Edition provides evidence-based insight into how extinctions and human-wildlife conflicts can be minimized. L. Scott Mills, Andrew Whiteley, and Mahdieh Tourani blend rigorous science with practical solutions to illuminate paths where science and action can bring hope. Thoroughly updated since the second edition, Conservation of Wildlife Populations bridges the full scope of applied wildlife population ecology, spanning conservation and wildlife biology, ecology, conservation genetics, evolutionary biology, and environmental studies. This new edition includes updated references and expanded global case studies based on both terrestrial and aquatic wildlife species. With an engaging writing style and real-world examples, this 3rd edition shows how a broad range of practical ecological and evolutionary principles can lead to efficient and sometimes non-intuitive conservation management in a rapidly changing world. Engaging and approachable, yet thorough and solutions-oriented, this is a must-read book for students and practitioners in ecology, wildlife biology, and conservation genetics. Undergraduate and postgraduate students will be equipped to advance conservation management and research, while field practitioners will find the scientific basis for making efficient and effective conservation decisions.

Publisher Summary: The history, science, and influence of an innovative land acquisition program that has protected Florida’s natural ecosystems and inspired global efforts This book traces the growth of landscape conservation planning in Florida, which has developed one of the most ambitious conservation land acquisition programs in North America. As a climate-vulnerable biodiversity hotspot facing rapid growth and development pressures, Florida offers a unique case study in adapting conservation strategies under challenging circumstances. By chronicling the state’s successes, the book offers insights into effective planning for the preservation of ecosystems and the wildlife they support. The Florida Model combines UNESCO’s biosphere reserve framework—core protected areas with surrounding multiuse buffer zones—with the concept of wildlife corridors. Informed by decades of research in conservation biology, landscape ecology, and restoration ecology, along with island biogeography and metapopulation theory, Florida’s practitioners developed robust tools for evaluating and prioritizing land acquisitions. This work led to the creation of the Florida Ecological Greenways Network and its flagship Florida Wildlife Corridor, cemented by landmark legislation in 2021, and has inspired similar regional conservation initiatives around the world.

Publisher Summary: Donald Watson was a seminal figure in the wildlife art and ornithological world from the late 1950s onwards. Since his death in 2005, his work has lived on through active public demand for his outstanding paintings of birds and the continued reading of his books. This is the first time his status and standing in the world of bird art and ornithology has been assessed. This definitive book is a series of biographical essays written by those who knew him and his outstanding contributions. There are so many perceptive insights about him and his work, and many previously untold stories that enliven the text. Reading the stories will bring back memories for all who knew him and hopefully inspire those who didn’t but who follow in his footsteps. Readers will find detailed accounts of his life, his character, his work ethic, his link with his ornithologist son Jeff, his high standing in the world of raptor workers written by his daughter Louise, his daughter-in-law Vanessa and by his close friend and neighbour Chris Rollie. His high standing in raptor protection and especially his outstanding Hen Harrier work is updated by Des Thompson and Colin Galbraith. The author reviews his writing skills and describes how his conservation campaigns are still relevant today. They will also learn so much about his art from the perceptive in-depth account by John Threlfall, himself a very successful wildlife artist. Beautifully illustrated with his outstanding paintings, examples of his exquisite scraper board sketches and family photographs, readers will want this book for its images alone.

Publisher Summary: Appalled by the catastrophic decline of the capercaillie in Scotland author Roy Dennis argues a dysfunctional forest habitat is to blame and that Highland cattle can be the solution. The name 'capercaillie' is derived from Gaelic 'capallcoille', or 'horse of the woods'. Capercaillie numbers in Scotland’s pine forests have tumbled from 20,000 in the 1960s to about 400 today. The species is now facing extinction without a major conservation effort. Roy argues that the capercaillie’s living space has become dysfunctional and the key to recovery is to mimic the behaviour of ancient oxen, which had a profound beneficial impact on the ecology of the woodlands. Ancient oxen are long gone but their distant relative, the Highland cow, was part of the woodland scene right through until the middle of the last century. Roy explains why they are now the key to restoring the forest ecosystem, creating path networks, increasing biodiversity and invertebrate populations - not only to the benefit of capercaillies, but nature as a whole.

Publisher Summary: This book examines how rewilding and species reintroductions play a crucial role in conservation and ecological restoration in Britain. The book examines how humans think about and interact with our environment and nature, and how competing interests surrounding conservation, land-use (in particular agriculture), and social-cultural issues can be reconciled. Rather than taking a stance which is aligned to either conservation or farming, as many other books do, this book examines how these two land uses are being negotiated in the discourse and reconciled in practice. Drawing on research involving visits to rewilding and reintroduction projects and interviews with conservation experts, practitioners and stakeholders, the book examines two landscapes sites (the Avalon Marshes in Somerset and Wild Ennerdale in Cumbria) and three species: cows, the European Wildcat and the Red Kite. It also examines the role played by public figures, whether activists, environmentalists or celebrities, in promoting rewilding. The book argues that rewilding in Britain is domesticated, in that it is more compatible with people and other land use than is often the case with rewilding in other parts of the world. This extends from the smaller scale at which it occurs, to the different names by which it is known, to the way that humans are still intervening in rewilding landscapes, and the very careful consideration which is being given to which animals are involved and how they are managed. Overall, this book provides insights into how rewilding in Britain is evolving with the potential impacts on land use and land use decision making. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of rewilding, conservation, ecological restoration, human-wildlife interactions and environmental management more broadly.

Publisher Summary: European ecosystems and species remain under pressure from intensive agriculture and forestry, fishing, pollution, urban sprawl, invasive species and climate change. This book provides a detailed description and critical analysis of nature conservation responses, achievements and failures, motivated by the concerning state of nature and missed biodiversity targets. It summarises Europe's nature and the impact of human activities, and then gives an overview of relevant international biodiversity treaties and the EU nature conservation policy and legislative framework. The core of the book comprises chapters written by national experts, which cover the UK and twenty-five EU Member States, providing comparative case studies from which valuable lessons are drawn. Covering wide-ranging topics such as biodiversity pressures, legislation and governance, biodiversity strategies, species protection, protected areas, habitat management, and funding, this book is of interest to a wide audience, including academics and professionals involved in nature conservation and related environmental fields.

Publisher Summary: How museums display extinct species—and what these exhibits say about us. While it’s no longer possible to encounter a dodo in the wild, we can still come face-to-face with them in museums. The remains of extinct species—whether taxidermied, skeletal, drawn, or sculpted—stare back at us from display cases. In this moving meditation on what’s lost and what endures, environmental historian Dolly Jørgensen visits natural history collections worldwide—from Shanghai to Philadelphia, from Edinburgh to Hobart, Australia—to understand the many ways that museums tell stories about extinction. She encounters extinct animals that are framed as cultural artifacts and as rare valuables, that are memorialized with lists, and that are brought to life through augmented reality. She draws our attention to creatures with prominent afterlives—passenger pigeons, giant moas, thylacines—as well as those that are less likely to be discussed or displayed. Throughout, Jørgensen examines the relationship between museums and the natural world, so readers can look more closely at exhibits about extinction, studying the displays for what is there, as well as what is missing. During a period of rapid species loss driven by humanity’s environmental impact, Ghosts Behind Glass asks what we can learn about our world from the presence of the extinct.

Publisher Summary: Pennsylvania naturalist William Bartram (1739–1823) is best known as the author of a travelogue describing his botanizing journey through the American South in the late eighteenth century. Writing was not, however, Bartram’s only or even preferred method of recording the natural world around him. His deeply unconventional drawings, depicting sentient plants and hybrid organic forms, lie at the heart of his understanding of nature. With this book, Elizabeth Athens considers the strangeness of Bartram’s graphic enterprise, exploring the essential role his renderings played in his natural history. For Bartram, the making and interpretation of figures on a surface was a dynamic and collaborative relationship between nature, the observing artist-naturalist, and the audience. This book offers the first in-depth investigation of Bartram’s drawing practice as central to his understanding of nature. Through an examination of Bartram’s approach to botanical and zoological representation, Athens highlights the struggle between different modes of seeing nature in eighteenth-century Enlightenment science.

Publisher Summary: In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries—a period that marked the emergence of a global modernity—educated landowners, or “gentlemen,” dominated the development of British natural history, utilizing networks of trade and empire to inventory nature and understand events across the world. Specimens, ranging from a Welsh bittern to the plants of Botany Bay, were collected, recorded, and classified, while books were produced in London and copies distributed and used across Britain, Continental Europe, the Pacific, Asia, and the Americas. Natural history connected a diverse range of individuals, from European landowners to Polynesian priests, incorporating, distributing, synthesizing, and appropriating information collected on a global scale. In Reading the World, Edwin D. Rose positions books, natural history specimens, and people in a close cycle of literary production and consumption. His book reveals new aspects of scientific practice and the specific roles of individuals employed to collect, synthesize, and distribute knowledge—reevaluating Joseph Banks’s and Daniel Solander’s investigations during James Cook’s Endeavour voyage to the Pacific. Uncovering the range of skills involved in knowledge production, Rose expands our understanding of natural history as a cyclical process, from the initial collection and identification of specimens to the formal publication of descriptions to the eventual printing of sources.

Publisher Summary: Incorporating essential revisions to reflect the latest scientific advancements, a celebrated author and scientist offers a leading textbook on animal behavior. So much has happened in the field of animal behavior since the last edition of this definitive textbook was published in 2020. In this fifth edition, Lee Alan Dugatkin continues to draw on cutting-edge new research not only to update and expand on the studies presented but also to reinforce the previous editions’ focus on ultimate and proximate causation as well as the book’s unique emphasis on natural selection, learning, and cultural transmission in nonhuman animals. The result is an essential update to the leading textbook on animal behavior that explains underlying concepts accessibly and with scientific rigor. Completely new features include: Anthropogenic Connection Boxes. Humans are changing the planet. We are clearing forests, polluting the oceans, irrigating deserts, poisoning the soils, and driving a dramatic increase in global temperatures. All of these changes alter both the habitats where animals live and the species themselves as they evolve in response to our impact on their surroundings. Students will dig deep into how anthropogenic evolution affects animal behavior. Social Network Connection Boxes. Researchers have discovered that social networks play a critical role in almost every aspect of animal life: what they eat, how they protect themselves, who they mate with, the dynamics of parent-offspring relations, aggression, navigation, communication, play, cooperation, culture, and more. Students will discover how social network studies enrich our understanding of the wondrous complexity of animal behavior. As Principles of Animal Behavior makes clear, the tapestry of animal behavior is created by weaving all of these components into a beautiful whole. In this lavishly illustrated, comprehensive, and up-to-date edition, we can admire that beauty anew.

Publisher Summary: A celebration of ecology’s variety—as both subject and research endeavor—and a call for intradisciplinary understanding. Open any ecology textbook, and you will find a heterogeneous mix of material that puzzles many newcomers. How do levels of organization from individual organisms to ecosystems, abstract concepts like food webs and biodiversity, and applied topics, like climate change and conservation, all fit together? New ecological research can be equally puzzling. Ecology journals publish studies using different methods in different study systems to ask different questions and achieve different goals. Is this all really Ecology? Yes, ecologist Jeremy Fox says in this eye-opening book. Ecology contains multitudes, and that is its power. In an essential book for all ecologists, Fox builds on insights developed in his popular blog, Dynamic Ecology, to argue that it is better for a scientific discipline to be messy than monolithic. Analyzing and accessibly explaining a broad range of scientific literature, Fox shows that ecology grew from disparate sources with profoundly different motivations, methods, and goals. We see the differences in those origins reflected in today’s research, in the pull between those who want to establish ecological laws akin to physical ones and those who see ecology’s value as inherent in its species- or system-specific case studies. Neither group, Fox argues, is doing ecology wrong. Instead, he says, the strength of this science—as in most ecological systems—is diversity. It is good when two ecologists look at similar problems differently. We now need the community to know enough about those different approaches to improve how they work together.

Publisher Summary: A report from indigenous experts and scientists exploring wildlife and conservation strategies in southern Guyana. In November 2024, local Indigenous experts joined forces with Guyanese and international scientists to explore a vast wilderness of remote rivers and rainforests in southern Guyana. Together, this large multidisciplinary team recorded the complex history and deep ecological knowledge of nearby Indigenous communities, alongside the geology, plants, and vertebrates of this 1.5 million-hectare expanse. Using a variety of time-tested and cutting-edge techniques, they uncovered an abundance of previously undocumented stone carvings, a spectacular diversity of plants and animals, and an undisturbed landscape harboring dozens of undescribed species. This comprehensive report synthesizes those discoveries, consolidating them into a clear set of ideas about how Guyana can leverage these lands and waters to advance its ambitious conservation goals. The text is in English, with summaries in Waiwai, Wapishana, and Trio.

Publisher Summary: This leading textbook introduces students and practitioners to the identification and analysis of animal remains at archaeology sites. The authors use global examples from the Pleistocene era into the present to explain how zooarchaeology allows us to form insights about relationships among people and their natural and social environments, especially site-formation processes, economic strategies, domestication, and paleoenvironments. This new edition reflects the significant technological developments in zooarchaeology that have occurred in the past two decades, notably ancient DNA, proteomics, and isotope geochemistry. Substantially revised to reflect these trends, the volume also highlights novel applications, current issues in the field, the growth of international zooarchaeology, and the increased role of interdisciplinary collaborations. In view of the growing importance of legacy collections, voucher specimens, and access to research materials, it also includes a substantially revised chapter that addresses management of zooarchaeological collections and curation of data.

Publisher Summary: The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Theropods brings together every species of predatory dinosaur known to have roamed the prehistoric world, with a dedicated entry for each species describing its key characteristics, taxonomic classification, location, and known remains along with a concise history of its discovery. Each species is beautifully brought to life with vivid illustrations and is supported by meticulously detailed diagrams of all known fossils. These visual aids enable readers to explore how scientists reconstruct these incredible creatures from fossilized remains. Whether you’re curious about Tyrannosaurus rex, Velociraptor, or the multitude of less familiar theropod species, this encyclopedia covers them all. The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs is a comprehensive three-volume resource for anyone who is fascinated by dinosaurs. Packed with engaging dino facts and original, full-color reconstructions, drawings, and graphics, this one-of-a-kind encyclopedia strikes a perfect balance between depth and accessibility—detailed enough to captivate professionals yet clear and exciting enough for beginners eager to dive into the amazing lost world of the dinosaurs. The three volumes, which are available individually or as a set, are Theropods, Sauropods, and Ornithischians. Organized for easy reference, these books are perfect for casual browsing or in-depth study. Together, this encyclopedia invites dinosaur lovers of all ages to walk among the wondrous beasts of the Mesozoic era.

Publisher Summary: The essential illustrated compendium of sauropod dinosaurs, from the towering Brachiosaurus to small, long-necked herbivores The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Sauropods brings together every species of long-necked dinosaur known to have roamed the prehistoric world, with a dedicated entry for each species describing its key characteristics, taxonomic classification, location, and known remains along with a concise history of its discovery. Each species is beautifully brought to life with vivid illustrations and is supported by meticulously detailed diagrams of all known fossils. These visual aids enable readers to explore how scientists reconstruct these incredible creatures from fossilized remains. Whether you’re curious about Brachiosaurus, Titanosaurus, or the multitude of less familiar sauropod species, this encyclopedia covers them all. The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs is a comprehensive three-volume resource for anyone who is fascinated by dinosaurs. Packed with engaging dino facts and original, full-color reconstructions, drawings, and graphics, this one-of-a-kind encyclopedia strikes a perfect balance between depth and accessibility―detailed enough to captivate professionals yet clear and exciting enough for beginners eager to dive into the amazing lost world of the dinosaurs. The three volumes, which are available individually or as a set, are Theropods, Sauropods, and Ornithischians. Organized for easy reference, these books are perfect for casual browsing or in-depth study. Together, this encyclopedia invites dinosaur lovers of all ages to walk among the wondrous beasts of the Mesozoic era.