Mangrove Ecosystems: Function and Management / Edition 1

by Volker Linneweber, Luiz Drude de Lacerda

Overview

Protection of the environment has nowadays become a major challenge and a condi­ tion for survival of future human generations and life on Earth in general. Yet it is still far too much of a dream or hope rather than a reality in the policy of our societies. Presently we are experiencing an unprecedented exponential growth of demography combined with a race for profit, resulting in excessive consumption particularly of en­ ergy, and a serious impact on the world ecosystems. Various types of pollutants and emerging new diseases not only disrupt the normal course of life, but also above this some of the atmospheric pollutants are most likely involved in the changing climate. We fear and literally shiver at the thought that the "changing climate" would ultimately disrupt the fragile thermodynamic equilibrium between the atmosphere and the oceans. Are we insensitive to these facts to the point of pushing our descendants, some generations ahead, into a new glacial period after a first period of warming up, at least, in northern Europe, like the one that took place 13 to 14 millennia ago? Surely the planet's nature is not prepared to be dominated by man and will go its way, whether humanity will be alive or dead.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783540422082
Publisher:	Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Publication date:	05/03/2002
Series:	Environmental Science and Engineering
Edition description:	2002
Pages:	298
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.03(d)

Table of Contents

1 American Mangroves.- 2 Mangroves of Africa.- 3 Indo-West Pacific Mangroves.- 4 Mangrove Phenologies and the Factors Influencing Them in the Australasian Region.- 5 Integrated and Adaptive Mangrove Management Framework — an Action Oriented Option for the New Millennium.- References.- Taxonomic Index.

Editorial Reviews

From the reviews:

"The present publication is an attempt to present in an organized manner the present state of knowledge, which could be useful for decision makers and of interest to all those who understand the ecological and economic potential of the various types of mangrove ecosystems. The book contains five chapters written by specialists in mangrove forest around the world. … This book can be highly recommended to all who are concerned with the future of mangrove forests, both for their sustainable use and for their protection." (Ulrich Saint-Paul, Ecotropica, Vol. 12, 2006)

From the Publisher