Monitoring Ecological Change

Cambridge University Press, 1991. Paperback. Used: Acceptable. Paperback - 1991 - good condition - - . 0-521-42407-0. Isbn 0521424070. Living communities are continuously changing, both as a result of natural processes and the activities of Man. It is essential for us to have effective biological and ecological monitoring programmes in order to detect these changes and understand the factors which influence them. Monitoring Ecological Change provides a practical and thought-provoking introduction to the subject, which will be of broad interest to students and professionals in the areas of ecology, environmental science, conservation and resource management. In the first part of the book, the roles of local, national and international organisations which implement monitoring programmes are discussed and assessed. In the second section of the book, a wide range of examples are used to explain and evaluate methods of data collection, analysis and interpretation. The final section focuses on the important applications of biological monitoring, such as pollution control, land-use management, monitoring rare species, and post-environmental impact assessment. The state of ecosystems, biological communities and species are continuously changing as a result of both natural processes and the activities of humans. In order to detect and understand these changes, effective ecological monitoring programmes are required. This book offers an introduction to the topic and provides both a rationale for monitoring and a practical guide to the techniques available. Written in a nontechnical style, the book covers the relevance and growth of ecological monitoring, the organizations and programmes involved, the science of ecological monitoring and an assessment of methods in practice, including many examples from monitoring programmes around the world. Building on the success of the first edition, this new edition has been fully revised and updated with two additional chapters covering the relevance of monitoring to the reporting of the state of the environment, and the growth of community based ecological monitoring.