Author: Kurt Schwabe
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 940076636X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 510
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Book Description
Offering a cross-country examination and comparison of drought awareness and experience, this book shows how scientists, water managers, and policy makers approach drought and water scarcity in arid and semi-arid regions of Spain, Mexico, Australia, South Africa and the United States.
Author: Diana K. Davis
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262034522
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 302
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Book Description
An argument that the perception of arid lands as wastelands is politically motivated and that these landscapes are variable, biodiverse ecosystems, whose inhabitants must be empowered. Deserts are commonly imagined as barren, defiled, worthless places, wastelands in need of development. This understanding has fueled extensive anti-desertification efforts—a multimillion-dollar global campaign driven by perceptions of a looming crisis. In this book, Diana Davis argues that estimates of desertification have been significantly exaggerated and that deserts and drylands—which constitute about 41% of the earth's landmass—are actually resilient and biodiverse environments in which a great many indigenous people have long lived sustainably. Meanwhile, contemporary arid lands development programs and anti-desertification efforts have met with little success. As Davis explains, these environments are not governed by the equilibrium ecological dynamics that apply in most other regions. Davis shows that our notion of the arid lands as wastelands derives largely from politically motivated Anglo-European colonial assumptions that these regions had been laid waste by “traditional” uses of the land. Unfortunately, such assumptions still frequently inform policy. Drawing on political ecology and environmental history, Davis traces changes in our understanding of deserts, from the benign views of the classical era to Christian associations of the desert with sinful activities to later (neo)colonial assumptions of destruction. She further explains how our thinking about deserts is problematically related to our conceptions of forests and desiccation. Davis concludes that a new understanding of the arid lands as healthy, natural, but variable ecosystems that do not necessarily need improvement or development will facilitate a more sustainable future for the world's magnificent drylands.
Author: Charles Hutchinson
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429722036
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 1457
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Book Description
The international conference Arid Lands: Today and Tomorrow drew more than 400 participants from over 3 S countries to Tucson, Arizona, for one week in October of 19 8 S. The diversity of presenters, disciplines and subject matters addressed contributed to an interesting and informative conference. The papers presented in this volume represent the efforts of scientists and other individuals who, through their various disciplines, are addressing the problems of and opportunities presented by the arid lands of the world. A committee of five scientists reviewed for substance. relevance and their contribution to the conference the 284 abstracts that were submitted. They selected 146 for presentation at the conference and of those papers presented, 128 were received for inclusion in the proceedings.
Author: Phoebe Koundouri
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 1845429974
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 289
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Book Description
Water deficiency in many arid and semi-arid regions in Southern Europe is becoming a major constraint for economic welfare and sustainable regional development. These regions are characterised by high spatial and temporal imbalances of water demand and supply, seasonal water uses, inadequate water resources and poor institutional water management. The aim of this book is to formulate appropriate strategies and guidelines for water management necessary for the formulation and implementation of integrated sustainable management of water resources. Lessons are learned from various case studies, which examine competing water use patterns, compare governance structures and how these have evolved in response to scarcity, and structural and non-structural instruments to address water deficiency. Water Management in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions will appeal to policymakers in relevant countries as well as to scholars and researchers of environmental studies and economics.
Author: J. R. Goodin
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 1483272273
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 353
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Book Description
Plant Resources of Arid and Semiarid Lands: A Global Perspective is a collection of papers that evaluates the existing native plant resources in the arid and semiarid regions. The papers deal with the resources found in these arid regions such as food potential, forage, fuel, fiber, medicinal or industrial uses. The book covers the arid regions of Africa, Australia, the Indian subcontinent, Middle East, North America, China, South America, and the USSR. The treatment of these regions includes geographical descriptions such as area, annual precipitation, temperature, humidity, wind ranges or patterns, and seasons. These papers also discuss the effects of topography on water drainage and loss, the basic soil types, holding capacity, water runoffs, and the availability of water (surface and subsurface), The book examines the current and projected growth rates for relevant countries and dry regions in each continent. These papers discuss the economic output from arid lands, the balance of trade, current or developing resources, as well as the prospects of these countries with dry regions. The book also focuses on the types of plants found in these regions whether these are used for food, forage, medicine or for industry. This collection is suitable for environmentalists, ecologists, sociologist, anthropologists, and researchers involved in biological and environmental conservation.
Author: Kathleen A. Galvin
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1402049064
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 422
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Book Description
With detailed data from nine sites around the world, the authors examine how the so-called ‘fragmentation’ of these fragile landscapes occurs and the consequences of this break-up for ecosystems and the people who depend on them. ‘Rangelands’ make up a quarter of the world’s landscape, and here, the case is developed that while fragmentation arises from different natural, social and economic conditions worldwide, it creates similar outcomes for human and natural systems.
Author: Ondieki, Christopher Misati
Publisher: IGI Global
ISBN: 1522527206
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 294
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Book Description
The management of water resources is extremely important for survival. Depending on the climate, certain regions require different strategies to maintain sustainable hydrological systems. Hydrology and Best Practices for Managing Water Resources in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands is a crucial scholarly resource that outlines current trends in water management and offers solutions for the future of this growing field. Highlighting pertinent topics such as hydrological processes modelling, satellite hydrology, water pollution, and climate resources, this publication is ideal for environmental engineers, academicians, graduate students, and researchers that are eager to discover more about the issues and processes currently shaping water management technology.
Author: Charles F. Hutchinson
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1402066899
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 239
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Book Description
The Future of Arid Lands, edited by Gilbert White and published in 1956, comprised papers delivered at the "International Arid Lands Meetings" held in New Mexico in 1955. At these meetings, experts considered the major issues then confronting the world’s arid lands and developed a research agenda to address these issues. This book reexamines this earlier work and explores changes in the science and management of arid lands over the past 50 years within their historical contexts.
Author: W.G. McGINNIES
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 421
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Book Description
Author: Enrique Campos-Lopez
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429725078
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 312
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Book Description
In this book, the authors integrate various perspectives on the evaluation of natural resources in arid and semiarid zones, analyze development options, and discuss systems analysis tools that could be important for the management of technology.
