Wetlands in a Dry Land

Wetlands in a Dry Land PDF Author: Emily O'Gorman
Publisher: University of Washington Press
ISBN: 0295749040
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 284

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Book Description
In the name of agriculture, urban growth, and disease control, humans have drained, filled, or otherwise destroyed nearly 87 percent of the world’s wetlands over the past three centuries. Unintended consequences include biodiversity loss, poor water quality, and the erosion of cultural sites, and only in the past few decades have wetlands been widely recognized as worth preserving. Emily O’Gorman asks, What has counted as a wetland, for whom, and with what consequences? Using the Murray-Darling Basin—a massive river system in eastern Australia that includes over 30,000 wetland areas—as a case study and drawing on archival research and original interviews, O’Gorman examines how people and animals have shaped wetlands from the late nineteenth century to today. She illuminates deeper dynamics by relating how Aboriginal peoples acted then and now as custodians of the landscape, despite the policies of the Australian government; how the movements of water birds affected farmers; and how mosquitoes have defied efforts to fully understand, let alone control, them. Situating the region’s history within global environmental humanities conversations, O’Gorman argues that we need to understand wetlands as socioecological landscapes in order to create new kinds of relationships with and futures for these places.

Wetlands in a Dry Land

Wetlands in a Dry Land PDF Author: Emily O'Gorman
Publisher: University of Washington Press
ISBN: 0295749040
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 284

Get Book Here

Book Description
In the name of agriculture, urban growth, and disease control, humans have drained, filled, or otherwise destroyed nearly 87 percent of the world’s wetlands over the past three centuries. Unintended consequences include biodiversity loss, poor water quality, and the erosion of cultural sites, and only in the past few decades have wetlands been widely recognized as worth preserving. Emily O’Gorman asks, What has counted as a wetland, for whom, and with what consequences? Using the Murray-Darling Basin—a massive river system in eastern Australia that includes over 30,000 wetland areas—as a case study and drawing on archival research and original interviews, O’Gorman examines how people and animals have shaped wetlands from the late nineteenth century to today. She illuminates deeper dynamics by relating how Aboriginal peoples acted then and now as custodians of the landscape, despite the policies of the Australian government; how the movements of water birds affected farmers; and how mosquitoes have defied efforts to fully understand, let alone control, them. Situating the region’s history within global environmental humanities conversations, O’Gorman argues that we need to understand wetlands as socioecological landscapes in order to create new kinds of relationships with and futures for these places.

Water Lands

Water Lands PDF Author: Fred Pearce
Publisher: William Collins
ISBN: 9780008390495
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Where water meets land, life abounds. This is the story of the nature and people of the wetlands of the world. From Wetlands International comes Water Lands, a beautifully illustrated book about this life-giving, global ecosystem. From the peat bogs of Ireland to the bayous of Louisiana; from the flooded forests of Cambodia to the permafrost of Siberia; from the mangroves of the Ganges Delta to the 'everlasting swamps' of the Nile; and from the marshes of the Brazilian Pantanal to the boggy upland pastures of Tibet, wetlands are in-between and ever-changing worlds. Sometimes wet and sometimes dry, sometimes land and sometimes water, sometimes saline and sometimes fresh; they change character with the seasons, or may lie dormant for decades before bursting into life. Through this highly accessible book, the authors tell intriguing and untold stories of how people interact with wetlands around the world, from the mountains to the sea. They emphasise how wetland communities have shaped and nurtured natural resources over the centuries - and how vital this knowledge and practices are in shaping future plans for managing land and water. They assert a positive narrative for wetlands and their role as climate buffers and in preventing and reducing droughts, floods and human conflicts over water. Water Lands brings together a world of experience and presents a new vision as well as real-life examples, to inspire and influence actions to revive wetlands. Wetlands International is the global not-for-profit organisation dedicated to safeguarding and restoring wetlands for people and nature. Their vision is a world where wetlands are treasured and nurtured for their beauty, the life they support and the resources they provide. With 20 offices around the world, Wetlands International has a strong global presence and a wealth of experience.

Wetland Indicators

Wetland Indicators PDF Author: Ralph W. Tiner
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 9781420048612
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 426

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Book Description
Understand the current concept of wetland and methods for identifying, describing, classifying, and delineating wetlands in the United States with Wetland Indicators - capturing the current state of science's role in wetland recognition and mapping. Environmental scientists and others involved with wetland regulations can strengthen their knowledge about wetlands, and the use of various indicators, to support their decisions on difficult wetland determinations. Professor Tiner primarily focuses on plants, soils, and other signs of wetland hydrology in the soil, or on the surface of wetlands in his discussion of Wetland Indicators. Practicing - and aspiring - wetland delineators alike will appreciate Wetland Indicators' critical insight into the development and significance of hydrophytic vegetation, hydric soils, and other factors. Features Shows 55 color plates, documenting wetland indicators throughout the nation - with more than 34 soil plates and aerial photos Illustrates other wetland properties with more than 50 figures Provides over 60 tables, including extensive tables of U.S. wetland plant communities and examples for determining hydrophytic vegetation Contents Wetland Definitions Wetland Concepts for Identification and Delineation Plant Indicators of Wetlands and Their Characteristics Vegetation Sampling and Analysis for Wetlands Soil Indicators of Wetlands Wetland Identification and Boundary Delineation Methods Problem Wetlands and Field Situations for Delineation Wetland Classification Wetlands of the United States: An Introduction, With Emphasis on Their Plant Communities Wetland Mapping and Photointerpretation

Wetlands

Wetlands PDF Author: Committee on Characterization of Wetlands
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309587220
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 329

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Book Description
"Wetlands" has become a hot word in the current environmental debate. But what does it signify? In 1991, proposed changes in the legal definities of wetlands stirred controversy and focused attention on the scientific and economic aspects of their management. This volume explores how to define wetlands. The committee--whose members were drawn from academia, government, business, and the environmental community--builds a rational, scientific basis for delineating wetlands in the landscape and offers recommendations for further action. Wetlands also discusses the diverse hydrological and ecological functions of wetlands, and makes recommendations concerning so-called controversial areas such as permafrost wetlands, riparian ecosystems, irregularly flooded sites, and agricultural wetlands. It presents criteria for identifying wetlands and explores the problems of applying those criteria when there are seasonal changes in water levels. This comprehensive and practical volume will be of interest to environmental scientists and advocates, hydrologists, policymakers, regulators, faculty, researchers, and students of environmental studies.

Texas Aquatic Science

Texas Aquatic Science PDF Author: Rudolph A. Rosen
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
ISBN: 1623491932
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 218

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Book Description
This classroom resource provides clear, concise scientific information in an understandable and enjoyable way about water and aquatic life. Spanning the hydrologic cycle from rain to watersheds, aquifers to springs, rivers to estuaries, ample illustrations promote understanding of important concepts and clarify major ideas. Aquatic science is covered comprehensively, with relevant principles of chemistry, physics, geology, geography, ecology, and biology included throughout the text. Emphasizing water sustainability and conservation, the book tells us what we can do personally to conserve for the future and presents job and volunteer opportunities in the hope that some students will pursue careers in aquatic science. Texas Aquatic Science, originally developed as part of a multi-faceted education project for middle and high school students, can also be used at the college level for non-science majors, in the home-school environment, and by anyone who educates kids about nature and water. To learn more about The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, sponsors of this book's series, please click here.

Wetland, Woodland, Wildland

Wetland, Woodland, Wildland PDF Author: Elizabeth Hathaway Thompson
Publisher: University Press of New England
ISBN:
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 472

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Book Description
The first field guide to all of Vermont's natural communities

Dreaming of Dry Land

Dreaming of Dry Land PDF Author: Vera S. Candiani
Publisher: Stanford University Press
ISBN: 0804791074
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 409

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Book Description
Not long after the conquest, the City of Mexico's rise to become the crown jewel in the Spanish empire was compromised by the lakes that surrounded it. Their increasing propensity to overflow destroyed wealth and alarmed urban elites, who responded with what would become the most transformative and protracted drainage project in the early modern America—the Desagüe de Huehuetoca. Hundreds of technicians, thousands of indigenous workers, and millions of pesos were marshaled to realize a complex system of canals, tunnels, dams, floodgates, and reservoirs. Vera S. Candiani's Dreaming of Dry Land weaves a narrative that describes what colonization was and looked like on the ground, and how it affected land, water, biota, humans, and the relationship among them, to explain the origins of our built and unbuilt landscapes. Connecting multiple historiographical traditions—history of science and technology, environmental history, social history, and Atlantic history—Candiani proposes that colonization was a class, not an ethnic or nation-based phenomenon, occurring simultaneously on both sides of an Atlantic, where state-building and empire-building were intertwined.

Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystems

Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystems PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 9780309045346
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 580

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Book Description
Aldo Leopold, father of the "land ethic," once said, "The time has come for science to busy itself with the earth itself. The first step is to reconstruct a sample of what we had to begin with." The concept he expressedâ€"restorationâ€"is defined in this comprehensive new volume that examines the prospects for repairing the damage society has done to the nation's aquatic resources: lakes, rivers and streams, and wetlands. Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystems outlines a national strategy for aquatic restoration, with practical recommendations, and features case studies of aquatic restoration activities around the country. The committee examines: Key concepts and techniques used in restoration. Common factors in successful restoration efforts. Threats to the health of the nation's aquatic ecosystems. Approaches to evaluation before, during, and after a restoration project. The emerging specialties of restoration and landscape ecology.

Ecosystems and Human Well-being

Ecosystems and Human Well-being PDF Author: Joseph Alcamo
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biodiversity
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
Ecosystems and Human Well-Being is the first product of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, a four-year international work program designed to meet the needs of decisionmakers for scientific information on the links between ecosystem change and human well-being. The book offers an overview of the project, describing the conceptual framework that is being used, defining its scope, and providing a baseline of understanding that all participants need to move forward. The Millennium Assessment focuses on how humans have altered ecosystems, and how changes in ecosystem services have affected human well-being, how ecosystem changes may affect people in future decades, and what types of responses can be adopted at local, national, or global scales to improve ecosystem management and thereby contribute to human well-being and poverty alleviation. The program was launched by United National Secretary-General Kofi Annan in June 2001, and the primary assessment reports will be released by Island Press in 2005. Leading scientists from more than 100 nations are conducting the assessment, which can aid countries, regions, or companies by: providing a clear, scientific picture of the current sta

Human Impact on the Earth

Human Impact on the Earth PDF Author: William B. Meyer
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521558471
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 268

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Book Description
At a level accessible to the general reader, this balanced and non-polemical book describes the changes human activities have produced in the global environment from 300 years ago to today.