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Nature All Around Us: A Guide to Urban Ecology
by Beatrix Beisner, Christian Messier, and Luc-Alain GiraldeauIt’s easy to stand in awe of a city’s impressive skyline, marveling at its buildings reaching for the clouds and its vast network of roadways and train lines crisscrossing in every direction. It can often seem like everything in a city is man-made, all concrete, steel, and glass. But even the asphalt jungle is not all asphalt—a sidewalk’s cracks are filled with nature, if we know where and how to look. To aid us in this quest is Nature All Around Us, which will help us to recognize (and look after) the natural world we traipse through in our daily lives. Nature All Around Us uses the familiar—such as summer Sundays humming with lawn mowers, gray squirrels foraging in planters, and flocks of pigeons—in order to introduce basic ecological concepts. In twenty-five short chapters organized by scale, from the home to the neighborhood to the city at large, it offers a subtle and entertaining education in ecology sure to inspire appreciation and ultimately stewardship of the environment. Various ecological concepts that any urban dweller might encounter are approachably examined, from understanding why a squirrel might act aggressively towards its neighbor to how nutrients and energy contained within a discarded apple core are recycled back into the food chain. Streaming through the work is an introduction to basic ecology, including the dangers of invasive species and the crucial role played by plants and trees in maintaining air quality. Taken as a whole, Nature All Around Us is an unprecedented field guide to the ecology of the urban environment that invites us to look at our towns, cities, and even our backyards through the eyes of an ecologist. It is an entertaining, educational, and inspiring glimpse into nature in seemingly unnatural settings, a reminder that we don’t have to trek into the wild to see nature—we just have to open our eyes.
Nature All Around Us: A Guide to Urban Ecology
by Beatrix Beisner, Christian Messier, and Luc-Alain GiraldeauIt’s easy to stand in awe of a city’s impressive skyline, marveling at its buildings reaching for the clouds and its vast network of roadways and train lines crisscrossing in every direction. It can often seem like everything in a city is man-made, all concrete, steel, and glass. But even the asphalt jungle is not all asphalt—a sidewalk’s cracks are filled with nature, if we know where and how to look. To aid us in this quest is Nature All Around Us, which will help us to recognize (and look after) the natural world we traipse through in our daily lives. Nature All Around Us uses the familiar—such as summer Sundays humming with lawn mowers, gray squirrels foraging in planters, and flocks of pigeons—in order to introduce basic ecological concepts. In twenty-five short chapters organized by scale, from the home to the neighborhood to the city at large, it offers a subtle and entertaining education in ecology sure to inspire appreciation and ultimately stewardship of the environment. Various ecological concepts that any urban dweller might encounter are approachably examined, from understanding why a squirrel might act aggressively towards its neighbor to how nutrients and energy contained within a discarded apple core are recycled back into the food chain. Streaming through the work is an introduction to basic ecology, including the dangers of invasive species and the crucial role played by plants and trees in maintaining air quality. Taken as a whole, Nature All Around Us is an unprecedented field guide to the ecology of the urban environment that invites us to look at our towns, cities, and even our backyards through the eyes of an ecologist. It is an entertaining, educational, and inspiring glimpse into nature in seemingly unnatural settings, a reminder that we don’t have to trek into the wild to see nature—we just have to open our eyes.
Nature All Around Us: A Guide to Urban Ecology
by Beatrix E. Beisner Christian C. Messier Luc-Alain GiraldeauIt’s easy to stand in awe of a city’s impressive skyline, marveling at its buildings reaching for the clouds and its vast network of roadways and train lines crisscrossing in every direction. It can often seem like everything in a city is man-made, all concrete, steel, and glass. But even the asphalt jungle is not all asphalt—a sidewalk’s cracks are filled with nature, if we know where and how to look. To aid us in this quest is Nature All Around Us, which will help us to recognize (and look after) the natural world we traipse through in our daily lives. Nature All Around Us uses the familiar—such as summer Sundays humming with lawn mowers, gray squirrels foraging in planters, and flocks of pigeons—in order to introduce basic ecological concepts. In twenty-five short chapters organized by scale, from the home to the neighborhood to the city at large, it offers a subtle and entertaining education in ecology sure to inspire appreciation and ultimately stewardship of the environment. Various ecological concepts that any urban dweller might encounter are approachably examined, from understanding why a squirrel might act aggressively towards its neighbor to how nutrients and energy contained within a discarded apple core are recycled back into the food chain. Streaming through the work is an introduction to basic ecology, including the dangers of invasive species and the crucial role played by plants and trees in maintaining air quality. Taken as a whole, Nature All Around Us is an unprecedented field guide to the ecology of the urban environment that invites us to look at our towns, cities, and even our backyards through the eyes of an ecologist. It is an entertaining, educational, and inspiring glimpse into nature in seemingly unnatural settings, a reminder that we don’t have to trek into the wild to see nature—we just have to open our eyes.
Nature All Around Us: A Guide to Urban Ecology
by Beatrix Beisner Christian Messier Luc-Alain GiraldeauIt’s easy to stand in awe of a city’s impressive skyline, marveling at its buildings reaching for the clouds and its vast network of roadways and train lines crisscrossing in every direction. It can often seem like everything in a city is man-made, all concrete, steel, and glass. But even the asphalt jungle is not all asphalt—a sidewalk’s cracks are filled with nature, if we know where and how to look. To aid us in this quest is Nature All Around Us, which will help us to recognize (and look after) the natural world we traipse through in our daily lives. Nature All Around Us uses the familiar—such as summer Sundays humming with lawn mowers, gray squirrels foraging in planters, and flocks of pigeons—in order to introduce basic ecological concepts. In twenty-five short chapters organized by scale, from the home to the neighborhood to the city at large, it offers a subtle and entertaining education in ecology sure to inspire appreciation and ultimately stewardship of the environment. Various ecological concepts that any urban dweller might encounter are approachably examined, from understanding why a squirrel might act aggressively towards its neighbor to how nutrients and energy contained within a discarded apple core are recycled back into the food chain. Streaming through the work is an introduction to basic ecology, including the dangers of invasive species and the crucial role played by plants and trees in maintaining air quality. Taken as a whole, Nature All Around Us is an unprecedented field guide to the ecology of the urban environment that invites us to look at our towns, cities, and even our backyards through the eyes of an ecologist. It is an entertaining, educational, and inspiring glimpse into nature in seemingly unnatural settings, a reminder that we don’t have to trek into the wild to see nature—we just have to open our eyes.
Nature and Bureaucracy: The Wildness of Managed Landscapes (Routledge Explorations in Environmental Studies)
by David JenkinsThis book questions how bureaucracies conceive of, and consequently interact with, nature, and suggests that our managed public landscapes are neither entirely managed nor entirely wild, and offers several warnings about bureaucracies and bureaucratic mentality. One prominent challenge facing scientists, policymakers, environmental activists, and environmentally concerned citizens, is to recognize that human influence in the natural world is pervasive and has a long history. How we act, or choose not to act, today will continue to determine the future of the natural world. Western-style management of nature, mediated by economic rationality and state bureaucracies, may not be the best strategy to maintain environmental integrity. The question is, what kinds of human influence, conceived of in the widest possible sense, will produce ideal environments for future generations? The related question is, who gets to choose? The author approaches the problem of analyzing the mutual influence of human and natural systems from two perspectives: as an objective scholar investigating bureaucracies and natural systems from the outside, and over the last decade as an inside practitioner working in various roles in federal land management agencies developing policies and regulations involved in the control of natural systems. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of natural resource management, policy and politics, and professionals working in environmental management roles as well as policymakers involved in public policy and administration.
Nature and Bureaucracy: The Wildness of Managed Landscapes (Routledge Explorations in Environmental Studies)
by David JenkinsThis book questions how bureaucracies conceive of, and consequently interact with, nature, and suggests that our managed public landscapes are neither entirely managed nor entirely wild, and offers several warnings about bureaucracies and bureaucratic mentality. One prominent challenge facing scientists, policymakers, environmental activists, and environmentally concerned citizens, is to recognize that human influence in the natural world is pervasive and has a long history. How we act, or choose not to act, today will continue to determine the future of the natural world. Western-style management of nature, mediated by economic rationality and state bureaucracies, may not be the best strategy to maintain environmental integrity. The question is, what kinds of human influence, conceived of in the widest possible sense, will produce ideal environments for future generations? The related question is, who gets to choose? The author approaches the problem of analyzing the mutual influence of human and natural systems from two perspectives: as an objective scholar investigating bureaucracies and natural systems from the outside, and over the last decade as an inside practitioner working in various roles in federal land management agencies developing policies and regulations involved in the control of natural systems. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of natural resource management, policy and politics, and professionals working in environmental management roles as well as policymakers involved in public policy and administration.
Nature and Health: Physical Activity in Nature (Routledge Research in Health, Nature and the Environment)
by Eric Brymer Jo Barton Mike RogersonExperiences in nature are now recognised as being fundamental to human health and well-being. Physical activity in nature has been posited as an important well-being facilitator because the presence of nature augments the benefits of physical activity while also enhancing motivation and adherence. This volume brings together a mix of cutting edge ideas in research, theory and practice from a wide set of disciplines with the purpose of exploring interdisciplinary or trans-disciplinary approaches to understanding the relationship between physical activity in nature and health and well-being. Nature and Health: Physical Activity in Nature is structured to facilitate ease of use for the researcher, policy maker, practitioner or theorist. Section 1 covers research on physical activity in nature for a number of important health and well-being issues. Each chapter in this section considers how policy and practice might be shaped by current research findings and knowledge. Section 2 considers contemporary theoretical and conceptual understandings that help explain how physical activity in nature enhances health and well-being and also how best to design interventions and research. Section 3 provides examples of current approaches. This book is an ideal resource for both researchers and advanced students interested in designing future-proofed research, for policy makers interested in improving community well-being and for practitioners interested in best practice applications.
Nature and Health: Physical Activity in Nature (Routledge Research in Health, Nature and the Environment)
by Eric Brymer Jo Barton Mike RogersonExperiences in nature are now recognised as being fundamental to human health and well-being. Physical activity in nature has been posited as an important well-being facilitator because the presence of nature augments the benefits of physical activity while also enhancing motivation and adherence. This volume brings together a mix of cutting edge ideas in research, theory and practice from a wide set of disciplines with the purpose of exploring interdisciplinary or trans-disciplinary approaches to understanding the relationship between physical activity in nature and health and well-being. Nature and Health: Physical Activity in Nature is structured to facilitate ease of use for the researcher, policy maker, practitioner or theorist. Section 1 covers research on physical activity in nature for a number of important health and well-being issues. Each chapter in this section considers how policy and practice might be shaped by current research findings and knowledge. Section 2 considers contemporary theoretical and conceptual understandings that help explain how physical activity in nature enhances health and well-being and also how best to design interventions and research. Section 3 provides examples of current approaches. This book is an ideal resource for both researchers and advanced students interested in designing future-proofed research, for policy makers interested in improving community well-being and for practitioners interested in best practice applications.
Nature and History: The Evolutionary Approach for Social Scientists (Routledge Library Editions: Evolution #6)
by Ignazio MasulliOriginally published in 1990, Nature and History examines how Darwin’s theory of evolution has been expanded by scholars and researchers to include virtually every scientific discipline. The book presents a morphological analysis of historical and social sciences – sciences which have traditionally have been viewed as too random in their progressions to conform to a model. Through the evaluation of empirical and factual evidence, the book builds a case for an evolutionary paradigm which encompasses both natural and social sciences, and presents the form’s adaptiveness in working historical models.
Nature and History: The Evolutionary Approach for Social Scientists (Routledge Library Editions: Evolution #6)
by Ignazio MasulliOriginally published in 1990, Nature and History examines how Darwin’s theory of evolution has been expanded by scholars and researchers to include virtually every scientific discipline. The book presents a morphological analysis of historical and social sciences – sciences which have traditionally have been viewed as too random in their progressions to conform to a model. Through the evaluation of empirical and factual evidence, the book builds a case for an evolutionary paradigm which encompasses both natural and social sciences, and presents the form’s adaptiveness in working historical models.
Nature and History in the Potomac Country: From Hunter-Gatherers to the Age of Jefferson
by James D. RiceJames D. Rice’s fresh study of the Potomac River basin begins with a mystery. Why, when the whole of the region offered fertile soil and excellent fishing and hunting, was nearly three-quarters of the land uninhabited on the eve of colonization? Rice wonders how the existence of this no man’s land influenced nearby Native American and, later, colonial settlements. Did it function as a commons, as a place where all were free to hunt and fish? Or was it perceived as a strange and hostile wilderness? Rice discovers environmental factors at the center of the story. Making use of extensive archaeological and anthropological research, as well as the vast scholarship on farming practices in the colonial period, he traces the region’s history from its earliest known habitation. With exceptionally vivid prose, Rice makes clear the implications of unbridled economic development for the forests, streams, and wetlands of the Potomac River basin. With what effects, Rice asks, did humankind exploit and then alter the landscape and the quality of the river’s waters? Equal parts environmental, Native American, and colonial history, Nature and History in the Potomac Country is a useful and innovative study of the Potomac River, its valley, and its people.
Nature and Identity in Cross-Cultural Perspective (GeoJournal Library #48)
by Anne Buttimer Luke WallinNature and Identity in Cross-Cultural Perspective presents 20 essays which explore diverse cultural interpretations of the earth's surface. Contrasted with each other and with the potentially cosmopolitan culture of science, these detailed studies of ways in which different cultures conceptualise nature appear in the context of global environmental change. Understanding across cultural lines has never been more important. This book shows how individual cultures see their own histories as offering protection for nature, while often viewing others as lacking such ethical restraints. Through such writing a discourse of understanding and common action becomes possible. The authors come from the places they discuss, and offer passionate as well as scholarly visions of nature within their cultural homes. Audience: This volume is of interest to academics and professionals working in the fields of cultural geography, environmental history, environmental studies, history of environmental ideas, environmental education, landscape and literature, nature and culture. It can be used for courses in the above-mentioned areas and seminars in comparative literature. It can also be used as a complimentary text to provide cultural context to literary readings, and for seminars on cultural aspects of the environment.
Nature And Power: A Global History of the Environment (Publications of the German Historical Institute)
by Joachim Radkau German Historical Institute in London Staff Thomas DunlapThis book aims to demonstrate that the changing relationship between humanity and nature is key to understanding world history. Humans have been grappling with environmental problems since prehistoric times, and the environmental unsustainability of human practices has often been a decisive, if not immediately evident, shaping factor in history. The measures that societies and states have adopted to stabilize the relationship between humans and the natural world have repeatedly contributed to environmental crises over the course of history. Nature and Power traces the expanding scope of environmental action: from initiatives undertaken by individual villages and cities, environmental policy has become a global concern. Efforts to steer human use of nature and natural resources have become complicated, as Nature and Power shows, by particularities of culture and by the vagaries of human nature itself. Environmental history, the author argues, is ultimately the history of human hopes and fears.
Nature and the Environment in Amish Life: Nature, Culture, And Religion In Everyday Life (Young Center Books in Anabaptist and Pietist Studies)
by David L. McConnell Marilyn D. LovelessThe pastoral image of Amish communities living simply and in touch with the land strikes a deep chord with many Americans. Environmentalists have lauded the Amish as iconic models for a way of life that is local, self-sufficient, and in harmony with nature. But the Amish themselves do not always embrace their ecological reputation, and critics have long questioned the portrayal of the Amish as models of environmental stewardship.In Nature and the Environment in Amish Life, David L. McConnell and Marilyn D. Loveless examine how this prevailing notion of the environmentally conscious Amish fits with the changing realities of their lives. Drawing on 150 interviews conducted over the course of 7 years, as well as a survey of household resource use among Amish and non-Amish people, they explore how the Amish understand nature in their daily lives and how their actions impact the natural world. Arguing that there is considerable diversity in Amish engagements with nature at home, at school, at work, and outdoors, McConnell and Loveless show how the Amish response to regional and global environmental issues, such as watershed pollution and climate change, reveals their deep skepticism of environmentalists. They also demonstrate that Amish households are not uniformly lower in resource use compared to their rural, non-Amish neighbors, though aspects of their home economy are relatively self-sufficient.The first comprehensive study of Amish understandings of the natural world, this compelling book complicates the image of the Amish and provides a more realistic understanding of the Amish relationship with the environment.
Nature and the Environment in Amish Life (Young Center Books in Anabaptist and Pietist Studies)
by David L. McConnell Marilyn D. LovelessThe pastoral image of Amish communities living simply and in touch with the land strikes a deep chord with many Americans. Environmentalists have lauded the Amish as iconic models for a way of life that is local, self-sufficient, and in harmony with nature. But the Amish themselves do not always embrace their ecological reputation, and critics have long questioned the portrayal of the Amish as models of environmental stewardship.In Nature and the Environment in Amish Life, David L. McConnell and Marilyn D. Loveless examine how this prevailing notion of the environmentally conscious Amish fits with the changing realities of their lives. Drawing on 150 interviews conducted over the course of 7 years, as well as a survey of household resource use among Amish and non-Amish people, they explore how the Amish understand nature in their daily lives and how their actions impact the natural world. Arguing that there is considerable diversity in Amish engagements with nature at home, at school, at work, and outdoors, McConnell and Loveless show how the Amish response to regional and global environmental issues, such as watershed pollution and climate change, reveals their deep skepticism of environmentalists. They also demonstrate that Amish households are not uniformly lower in resource use compared to their rural, non-Amish neighbors, though aspects of their home economy are relatively self-sufficient.The first comprehensive study of Amish understandings of the natural world, this compelling book complicates the image of the Amish and provides a more realistic understanding of the Amish relationship with the environment.
Nature as Teacher – New Principles in the Working of Nature: Volume 2 of Renowned Environmentalist Viktor Schauberger’s Eco-Technology Series (Eco-technology Ser. #02)
by Viktor SchaubergerToday we are standing helpless and perplexed. With no glimmer of improvement anywhere in sight, we feel hopelessly propelled towards a forlorn future. It is understandable therefore than an increasing number of people, sick and tired of this insane activity, are now seeking ways to return to Mother Nature.Viktor Schauberger (1885–1958)Nature as Teacher, the second volume of the Eco-Technology series which presents the original, passionate and convincing research of Viktor Schauberger in translation for the first time, looks at the ways in which we can return to the vital natural cycles that have been interrupted by modern unthinking technologies. Schauberger was a pioneering genius who combined keen observation of Nature with intuitive brilliance and a sharp engineer’s brain. One of the first genuine environmentalists, he was predicting ecological catastrophe in the 1930s when no-one else could see it coming. Schauberger’s predictions are now being proven right. He foresaw:Global warming and its devastating consequencesIncreasing violence and lawlessness as the direct result of destructive methods which block Nature’s energies and balance.The destruction of the world’s forests and ecosystems.A fearless exponent of natural energy who revelled in doing battle with contemporary orthodox scientists, his work is enjoying a worldwide revival because he was able to convey how an understanding of Nature’s subtle energies is essential to our survival. This, and the fact that he developed free energy machines by harnessing the magical processes of Nature, has made Viktor Schauberger truly a man of our times. Following the success of The Water Wizard, Nature as Teacher details Schauberger’s thinking about environmental catastrophe. It includes correspondence with contemporaries and, in particular, his feelings of frustration at the blindness of those in mainstream science who seemed to him to be more concerned with their own welfare and their pride than with the fate of humanity. This volume gives tremendous insight into what is happening on the Earth today and presents practical solutions on how we may yet save our precious world. Most telling is Schauberger’s elucidation of the vital natural cycles that modern unthinking technologies have interrupted and harmed, sometimes irreparably. The Eco-Technology series makes available for the first time Viktor Schauberger’s original writings and passionate debates. Callum Coats has painstakingly collected, translated and edited the material for what promises to be the most definitive study yet of this extraordinary man’s life and work.Nature as Teacher: Table of ContentsIntroduction by Callum CoatsOur Senseless Toil (1933)Nature as TeacherThe First Ecotechnical PracticeThe Genesis of WaterOn Energy, Eggs and Natural motionOrganic Syntheses
Nature-Based Solutions for More Sustainable Cities: A Framework Approach for Planning and Evaluation
by Edoardo Croci Benedetta LucchittaThere is growing recognition and awareness that nature can help provide viable solutions to reduce vulnerability and generate value deploying the properties of ecosystems and the services they provide. Investing in nature can lead to substantial environmental, social and economic benefits by reducing pollution, decreasing energy costs, improving health and well-being and increasing resilience to climate change and natural disasters. Nature-Based Solutions for More Sustainable Cities makes a clear case of performances, impacts, and benefits generated by NBS in cities providing a comprehensive framework approach to understand the real and full potential of NBS at the urban level taking into account several aspects, from design and planning to socio-economic evaluation and financial issues. Given the multifunctionality of NBS, the book collects contributions from several international experts ensuring the interaction between different disciplines contributing to enrich and to disseminate knowledge about NBS.
Nature-Based Solutions for More Sustainable Cities: A Framework Approach for Planning and Evaluation
by Edoardo Croci, Benedetta LucchittaThere is growing recognition and awareness that nature can help provide viable solutions to reduce vulnerability and generate value deploying the properties of ecosystems and the services they provide. Investing in nature can lead to substantial environmental, social and economic benefits by reducing pollution, decreasing energy costs, improving health and well-being and increasing resilience to climate change and natural disasters. Nature-Based Solutions for More Sustainable Cities makes a clear case of performances, impacts, and benefits generated by NBS in cities providing a comprehensive framework approach to understand the real and full potential of NBS at the urban level taking into account several aspects, from design and planning to socio-economic evaluation and financial issues. Given the multifunctionality of NBS, the book collects contributions from several international experts ensuring the interaction between different disciplines contributing to enrich and to disseminate knowledge about NBS.
Nature-based Solutions for Resilient Ecosystems and Societies (Disaster Resilience and Green Growth)
by Shalini Dhyani Anil Kumar Gupta Madhav KarkiOver the past few decades, the frequency and severity of natural and human-induced disasters have increased across Asia. These disasters lead to substantial loss of life, livelihoods and community assets, which not only threatens the pace of socio-economic development, but also undo hard-earned gains. Extreme events and disasters such as floods, droughts, heat, fire, cyclones and tidal surges are known to be exacerbated by environmental changes including climate change, land-use changes and natural resource degradation. Increasing climate variability and multi-dimensional vulnerabilities have severely affected the social, ecological and economic capacities of the people in the region who are, economically speaking, those with the least capacity to adapt. Climatic and other environmental hazards and anthropogenic risks, coupled with weak and wavering capacities, severely impact the ecosystems and Nature’s Contributions to People (NCP) and, thereby, to human well-being. Long-term resilience building through disaster risk reduction and integrated adaptive climate planning, therefore, has become a key priority for scientists and policymakers alike. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) is a cost-effective approach that utilizes ecosystem and biodiversity services for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, while also providing a range of co-benefits like sustainable livelihoods and food, water and energy security. This book discusses the concept of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) – both as a science and as art – and elaborates on how it can be applied to develop healthy and resilient ecosystems locally, nationally, regionally and globally. The book covers illustrative methods and tools adopted for applying NbS in different countries. The authors discuss NbS applications and challenges, research trends and future insights that have wider regional and global relevance. The aspects covered include: landscape restoration, ecosystem-based adaptation, ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction, ecological restoration, ecosystem-based protected areas management, green infrastructure development, nature-friendly infrastructure development in various ecosystem types, agro-climatic zones and watersheds. The book offers insights into understanding the sustainable development goals (SDGs) at the grass roots level and can help indigenous and local communities harness ecosystem services to help achieve them. It offers a unique, essential resource for researchers, students, corporations, administrators and policymakers working in the fields of the environment, geography, development, policy planning, the natural sciences, life sciences, agriculture, health, climate change and disaster studies.
Nature-Based Solutions to 21st Century Challenges
by Robert C. BrearsThis book provides a systematic review of nature-based solutions and their potential to address current environmental challenges. In the 21st century, society is faced by rapid urbanisation and population growth, degradation and loss of natural capital and associated ecosystem services, an increase in natural disaster risks, and climate change. With growing recognition of the need to work with ecosystems to resolve these issues there is now a move towards nature-based solutions, which involve utilising nature’s ecosystem to solve societal challenges while providing multiple co-benefits. This book systematically reviews nature-based solutions from a public policy angle, assessing policy developments which encourage the implementation of nature-based solutions to address societal challenges while simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits. This includes enhancing sustainable urbanisation, restoring degraded ecosystems, mitigating and adapting to climate change, and reducing risks from natural disasters. While nature-based solutions can be applied strategically and equitably to help societies address a variety of climatic and non-climatic challenges, there is still a lack of understanding on how best to implement them. The book concludes by providing a best practice guide for those aiming to turn societal challenges into opportunities. This book will be of great interest to policymakers, practitioners and researchers involved in nature-based solutions, sustainable urban planning, environmental management, and sustainable development generally.
Nature-Based Solutions to 21st Century Challenges
by Robert C. BrearsThis book provides a systematic review of nature-based solutions and their potential to address current environmental challenges. In the 21st century, society is faced by rapid urbanisation and population growth, degradation and loss of natural capital and associated ecosystem services, an increase in natural disaster risks, and climate change. With growing recognition of the need to work with ecosystems to resolve these issues there is now a move towards nature-based solutions, which involve utilising nature’s ecosystem to solve societal challenges while providing multiple co-benefits. This book systematically reviews nature-based solutions from a public policy angle, assessing policy developments which encourage the implementation of nature-based solutions to address societal challenges while simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits. This includes enhancing sustainable urbanisation, restoring degraded ecosystems, mitigating and adapting to climate change, and reducing risks from natural disasters. While nature-based solutions can be applied strategically and equitably to help societies address a variety of climatic and non-climatic challenges, there is still a lack of understanding on how best to implement them. The book concludes by providing a best practice guide for those aiming to turn societal challenges into opportunities. This book will be of great interest to policymakers, practitioners and researchers involved in nature-based solutions, sustainable urban planning, environmental management, and sustainable development generally.
Nature-Based Solutions to Climate Change Adaptation in Urban Areas: Linkages between Science, Policy and Practice (Theory and Practice of Urban Sustainability Transitions)
by Nadja Kabisch Horst Korn Jutta Stadler Aletta BonnThis open access book brings together research findings and experiences from science, policy and practice to highlight and debate the importance of nature-based solutions to climate change adaptation in urban areas. Emphasis is given to the potential of nature-based approaches to create multiple-benefits for society.The expert contributions present recommendations for creating synergies between ongoing policy processes, scientific programmes and practical implementation of climate change and nature conservation measures in global urban areas.Except where otherwise noted, this book is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Nature beyond Solitude: Notes from the Field
by John Seibert FarnsworthJohn Seibert Farnsworth's delightful field notes are not only about nature, but from nature as well. In Nature Beyond Solitude, he lets us peer over his shoulder as he takes his notes. We follow him to a series of field stations where he teams up with scientists, citizen scientists, rangers, stewards, and grad students engaged in long-term ecological study, all the while scribbling down what he sees, hears, and feels in the moment. With humor and insight, Farnsworth explores how communal experiences of nature might ultimately provide greater depths of appreciation for the natural world.In the course of his travels, Farnsworth visits the Hastings Natural History Reservation, the Santa Cruz Island Reserve, the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory, the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest, the North Cascades Institute's Environmental Learning Center, and more.
The Nature Book: What It Is and How It Lives
by Marianne TaylorThere is so much to know about the ever changing natural world, but it's impossible to remember everything we have ever learnt about the range of subjects encompassed by the term 'nature'. The Nature Book is a great guide to the natural world, both for the beginner and those who want to relearn the most important and interesting facts about our fascinating environment.Including: Identifying rock formations Names of berries Flora and fauna Phases of the moon The seasons Seas and rivers Birds and other wildlifeComprehensive, yet accessible and entertaining, whether you're a walker who would like to be able to 'name that tree' or simply a gardener who wants to know more, The Nature Book is your one-stop guide to reconnecting and appreciating nature once more.
Nature, Choice and Social Power
by Erica SchoenbergerWe are at an environmental impasse. Many blame our personal choices about the things we consume and the way we live. This is only part of the problem. Different forms of social power - political, economic and ideological - structure the choices we have available. This book analyses how we make social and environmental history and why we end up where we do. Using case studies from different environmental domains – earth and water, air and fire – Nature, Choice and Social Power examines the form that social power takes and how it can harm the environment and hinder our efforts to act in our own best interests. The case studies challenge conventional wisdoms about why gold is valuable, why the internal combustion engine triumphed, and when and why suburbs sprawled. The book shows how the power of individuals, the power of classes, the power of the market and the power of the state at different times and in different ways were critical to setting us on a path to environmental degradation. It also challenges conventional wisdoms about what we need to do now. Rather than reducing consumption and shrinking from outcomes we don’t want, it proposes growing towards outcomes we do want. We invested massive resources in creating our problems; it will take equally large investments to fix them. Written in a clear and engaging style, the book is underpinned with a political economy framework and addresses how we should understand our responsibility to the environment and to each other as individuals within a large and impersonal system.