The importance of conservation is growing each year, with increasing concerns over the destruction of biodiversity and the rising awareness of ecosystem services generating new debates on the human-nature relationship. This compact overview integrates the process, theory and practice of conservation for a broad readership, from non-specialists to students and practitioners. Taking a global perspective, it uses examples from around the world to illustrate general themes and show how problems arise from the impact of societal trends on ecological communities. A significant practical component will be particularly valuable for environmental professionals, outlining the requirements for rigorous surveys, biodiversity valuation, the assessment of impact and its mitigation. Thoroughly revised and updated, this second edition reflects trends towards embracing multiple disciplines, considering the links between ecology and the social sciences and bringing conservation to the heart of sustainability and environmental policy.
Preface to the Second Edition ix
1 Introduction to conservation 1 (40)
1.1 General introduction 1 (6)
1.2 Introduction to biodiversity 7 (4)
1.3 The philosophy and ethics of 11 (9)
conservation: why conserve?
1.4 Economics and stability 20 (11)
1.5 Extinction rates 31 (10)
2 Threats to biodiversity 41 (46)
2.1 Identifying causes of recent 41 (2)
extinctions
2.2 Human population growth and movement 43 (2)
2.3 Human consumption patterns and 45 (16)
habitat loss
2.4 Local pollution 61 (4)
2.5 Atmospheric pollution 65 (7)
2.6 Introduced species, diseases and genes 72 (9)
2.7 Infrastructure (including roads) 81 (2)
2.8 Recreation 83 (1)
2.9 Secondary extinctions, multiple 84 (3)
stressors and synergistic impacts
3 Evaluation of priorities for species and 87 (38)
habitats
3.1 Choosing species to protect: species 88 (8)
quality
3.2 Choosing habitats to protect: habitat 96 (13)
quality
3.3 Conservation indices 109(1)
3.4 Global priorities 110(11)
3.5 Strategic conservation planning, 121(4)
decision theory and triage
4 Monitoring and Environmental Impact 125(36)
Assessment
4.1 Aims and requirements 125(1)
4.2 Sampling methods and analysis 126(6)
4.3 Methods for different groups 132(5)
4.4 Measures and indicators of site 137(13)
quality
4.5 Rapid Biodiversity Assessment 150(1)
4.6 Long-term and large-scale monitoring, 151(6)
and ecosystem function
4.7 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) 157(4)
5 Management of natural and fragmented 161(42)
habitats
5.1 Continental biomes 163(9)
5.2 Management of oceanic islands 172(1)
5.3 Management of aquatic habitats 173(6)
5.4 Management of fragmented habitats 179(19)
5.5 Effectiveness of protected areas 198(5)
6 Management of species 203(34)
6.1 Metapopulations 204(3)
6.2 Conservation genetics 207(8)
6.3 Population viability 215(4)
6.4 In situ methods 219(6)
6.5 Ex situ methods 225(9)
6.6 Climate change responses 234(3)
7 Sustainable use, semi-natural cultural 237(34)
landscapes and the matrix
7.1 What does sustainability mean? 238(2)
7.2 Maximum Sustainable Yields (MSYs) 240(3)
7.3 Semi-natural habitats and traditional 243(13)
cultural landscapes
7.4 Sustainability and traditional 256(3)
management
7.5 Sustainability in the landscape matrix 259(9)
7.6 Overview of sustainability 268(3)
8 Restoration and offsetting 271(38)
8.1 Targets and baselines in restoration 273(2)
8.2 Re-introduction and conservation 275(5)
introduction
8.3 Control of introduced species 280(4)
8.4 Restoring habitats and ecosystem 284(14)
function
8.5 Translocation of habitats 298(2)
8.6 Mitigation and biodiversity offsets 300(3)
8.7 Anthropogenic novel ecosystems, 303(2)
including urban wildlife
8.8 Measuring success and 305(4)
cost-effectiveness
9 Environmental policy 309(40)
9.1 Social components of conservation and 309(1)
the human-nature relationship
9.2 Attitudes to conservation 309(8)
9.3 Economic methods 317(13)
9.4 Law 330(4)
9.5 Conservation policy 334(5)
9.6 Population and planned parenthood 339(1)
9.7 Sustainability 339(3)
9.8 Conservation successes 342(2)
9.9 Case study. The Mali elephants: a 344(2)
complex socio-ecological system
9.10 Conclusions 346(3)
References 349(46)
Index to species names 395(11)
Index 406
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