Bruce G. Marcot

A look at how wildlife professionals can modernize their approaches to habitat and population management with a fresh take on animal ecology.How can we maximize the probability that a species of wild animal will persist into the future? This audacious book proposes that advancing animal ecology—and conservation itself—demands that we reenvision our basic understanding of how animals interact with their environments and with each other. Synthesizing where we are and where we need to go with our studies of animals and their environs, Foundations for Advancing Animal Ecology asserts that studies of animal ecology should begin with a focus on the behaviors and characteristics of individual organisms. The book examines• the limitations of classic approaches to the study of animal ecology• how organisms organize into collections, such as breeding pairs, flocks, and herds• how the broader biotic and abiotic environment shapes animal populations, communities, and ecosystems• factors underlying the distribution and abundance of species through space and time• the links between habitat and population• why communication between researchers and managers is key• specific strategies for managing wild animal populations and habitats in an evolutionary and ecosystem contextThroughout, the authors stress the importance of speaking a common and well-defined language. Avoiding vague and misleading terminology, they argue, will help ecologists translate science into meaningful and lasting actions in the environment. Taking the perspective of the organism of interest in developing concepts and applications, the authors always keep the potentially biased human perspective in focus. A major advancement in understanding the factors underlying wildlife-habitat relationships, Foundations for Advancing Animal Ecology will be an invaluable resource to professionals and practitioners in natural resource management in public and private sectors, including state and federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, and environmental consultants.

O presente livro trata de um trabalho realizado ao longo de mais de uma d cada sobre a carateriza o das condi es das florestas tropicais em Garo Hills, no oeste do estado de Meghalaya, no nordeste da ndia. Trata-se essencialmente de uma compila o e de um comp ndio das conclus es apresentadas num trabalho de doutoramento de Ashish Kumar e em estudos relacionados, incluindo an lises da fragmenta o florestal, do padr o de utiliza o dos solos, da classifica o das florestas, da an lise das comunidades e da diversidade bot nica da regi o. O trabalho conduziu a inova es na utiliza o de informa es e ferramentas de teledete o e a sugest es para a conce o de uma rede de reas protegidas para o planeamento da conserva o na regi o. Um volume complementar apresentar resultados e implica es para a conserva o da vida selvagem na regi o.

Il presente libro tratta del lavoro completato in oltre un decennio sulla caratterizzazione delle condizioni delle foreste tropicali nelle Garo Hills dello Stato occidentale del Meghalaya, nell'India nordorientale. Si tratta essenzialmente di una raccolta e di un compendio dei risultati presentati in un lavoro di dottorato di Ashish Kumar e in studi correlati, tra cui l'analisi della frammentazione forestale, del modello di utilizzo del territorio, della classificazione forestale, dell'analisi delle comunit e della diversit botanica della regione. Il lavoro ha portato a innovazioni nell'uso delle informazioni e degli strumenti di telerilevamento e a suggerimenti per la progettazione di una rete di aree protette per la pianificazione della conservazione nella regione Un volume di accompagnamento presenter i risultati e le implicazioni per la conservazione della fauna selvatica della regione.

Das vorliegende Buch befasst sich mit der ber ein Jahrzehnt andauernden Arbeit zur Charakterisierung der Bedingungen der tropischen W lder in den Garo Hills im westlichen Meghalaya in Nordostindien. Es handelt sich im Wesentlichen um eine Zusammenstellung und ein Kompendium der Ergebnisse, die in einer Doktorarbeit von Ashish Kumar und in verwandten Studien vorgestellt wurden, darunter Analysen der Waldfragmentierung, der Landnutzungsmuster, der Waldklassifizierung, der Analyse der Lebensgemeinschaften und der botanischen Vielfalt in der Region. Die Arbeit hat zu Innovationen bei der Nutzung von Fernerkundungsdaten und -instrumenten sowie zu Vorschl gen f r die Gestaltung eines Schutzgebietsnetzes f r die Naturschutzplanung in der Region gef hrt. Ein Begleitband wird die Ergebnisse und Auswirkungen auf den Schutz der Wildtiere in der Region vorstellen.

Le pr sent ouvrage est le fruit d'un travail de plus de dix ans sur la caract risation des conditions des for ts tropicales dans les collines de Garo, dans l'ouest de l' tat de Meghalaya, dans le nord-est de l'Inde. Il s'agit essentiellement d'une compilation et d'un recueil des r sultats pr sent s dans un travail de doctorat d'Ashish Kumar et dans des tudes connexes comprenant des analyses de la fragmentation des for ts, des mod les d'utilisation des sols, de la classification des for ts, de l'analyse des communaut s et de la diversit botanique de la r gion. Le travail a conduit des innovations dans l'utilisation des informations et des outils de t l d tection et des suggestions pour la conception d'un r seau de zones prot g es pour la planification de la conservation dans la r gion.

Practical guidance for wildlife professionals working to improve study design, data analysis, and the application of results to habitat and population management.Winner of the Wildlife Society Publications Book Award by The Wildlife SocietyDespite major advances in sampling techniques and analytical methods, many animal ecologists conduct research that is primarily relevant to a specific time and place. They also tend to focus more on the statistical analyses and nuances of modeling than actual study design. Arguing that studies of animal ecology should always begin with a focus on the behaviors and characteristics of individual organisms, including how they form into distinct biological populations, Applications for Advancing Animal Ecology takes a fresh and critical look at the field. Building from its companion volume, Foundations for Advancing Animal Ecology, this practical book presents readers with the principal methods used to observe animal behavior. Teaching them to assess resource abundance categories of species-environmental relationships models, it also explores• major aspects of measuring animal habitat: what to measure and how to measure it;• common sampling and estimation methods to assess population parameters;• when to measure and how to analyze data;• problems that will confront ecologists in the coming years—and how to gather information to adequately address them; and• how the experimental approach can be used to advance the science of animal ecology.Throughout the book, the authors stress the importance of speaking a common and well-defined language. Avoiding vague and misleading terminology, they assert, will help ecologists translate science into meaningful and lasting actions in the environment. Taking the perspective of the organism of interest in developing concepts and applications, the authors always keep the potentially biased human perspective in focus. They also provide a selection of suggested research projects, cautions, and caveats. A major advancement in understanding the factors underlying wildlife–habitat relationships, Applications for Advancing Animal Ecology will be an invaluable resource to natural resource management professionals and practitioners, including state and federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, and environmental consultants.

Uncertainty can take many forms, can be represented in many ways, and can have important implications in decision-making and policy development. This book provides a rigorous scientific framework for dealing with uncertainty in real-world situations, and provides a comprehensive study of concepts, measurements, and applications of uncertainty in ecological modeling and natural resource management. The focus of this book is on the kinds and implications of uncertainty in environmental modeling and management, with practical guidelines and examples for successful modeling and risk analysis in the face of uncertain conditions and incomplete information. Provided is a clear classification of uncertainty; methods for measuring, modeling, and communicating uncertainty; practical guidelines for capturing and representing expert knowledge and judgment; explanations of the role of uncertainty in decision-making; a guideline to avoiding logical fallacies when dealing with uncertainty; and several example cases of real-world ecological modeling and risk analysis to illustrate the concepts and approaches. Case topics provide examples of structured decision-making, statistical modeling, and related topics. A summary provides practical next steps that the reader can take in analyzing and interpreting uncertainty in real-world situations. Also provided is a glossary and a suite of references.

Uncertainty can take many forms, can be represented in many ways, and can have important implications in decision-making and policy development. This book provides a rigorous scientific framework for dealing with uncertainty in real-world situations, and provides a comprehensive study of concepts, measurements, and applications of uncertainty in ecological modeling and natural resource management. The focus of this book is on the kinds and implications of uncertainty in environmental modeling and management, with practical guidelines and examples for successful modeling and risk analysis in the face of uncertain conditions and incomplete information. Provided is a clear classification of uncertainty; methods for measuring, modeling, and communicating uncertainty; practical guidelines for capturing and representing expert knowledge and judgment; explanations of the role of uncertainty in decision-making; a guideline to avoiding logical fallacies when dealing with uncertainty; and several example cases of real-world ecological modeling and risk analysis to illustrate the concepts and approaches. Case topics provide examples of structured decision-making, statistical modeling, and related topics. A summary provides practical next steps that the reader can take in analyzing and interpreting uncertainty in real-world situations. Also provided is a glossary and a suite of references.