There has been an exponential increase in desalination capacity both globally and nationally since 1960, fueled in part by growing concern for local water scarcity and made possible to a great extent by a major federal investment for desalination research and development. Traditional sources of supply are increasingly expensive, unavailable, or controversial, but desalination technology offers the potential to substantially reduce water scarcity by converting the almost inexhaustible supply of seawater and the apparently vast quantities of brackish groundwater into new sources of freshwater. Desalination assesses the state of the art in relevant desalination technologies, and factors such as cost and implementation challenges. It also describes reasonable long-term goals for advancing desalination technology, posits recommendations for action and research, estimates the funding necessary to support the proposed research agenda, and identifies appropriate roles for governmental and nongovernmental entities.

The population explosion that began in the 1960s has been accompanied by a decrease in the quality of the natural environment, e.g. pollution of the air, water and soil with essential and toxic trace elements. Numerous poisonings of people and animals with highly toxic anthropogenic Hg and Cd in the 20th century prompted the creation of the abiotic environment, mainly in developed countries. However, the system is insufficient for long-term exposure to low concentrations of various substances that are mainly ingested through food and water. This problem could be addressed by the monitoring of sentinels – organisms that accumulate trace elements and as such reflect the rate and degree of environmental pollution. Usually these are long-lived vertebrates – herbivorous, omnivorous and carnivorous birds and mammals, especially game species. This book describes the responses of the sentinels most commonly used in ecotoxicological studies to 17 trace elements.

This book informs readers on the ecology, ecosystem services, and management of Sundaland wetland ecosystems, discussing the concepts and tools necessary to conserve these imperiled habitats. Sundaland is a biogeographically defined area of South East Asia characterised by an exceptional concentration of endemic species. The unprecedented loss of wetland habitats within Sundaland warrants urgency in implementing conservation actions. The authors are both researchers who have witnessed the ongoing losses of wetland habitats in Sundaland. The first chapter introduces fundamental concepts of ecosystems, ecological processes and ecosystem services of coastal and inland wetlands. The second chapter provides an overview of the global and regional conservation status of these ecosystems. The third chapter advances the importance of wetlands management at the landscape level (drainage basins), and proposes to adopt the concept of Ecotonal Networks (ENTs) as a sustainable management method, within the theoretical framework of Resilience Theory. The fourth chapter showcases potential flagship species that can aid in raising awareness on these endangered but poorly-known ecosystems. The fifth chapter discusses sustainable ecotourism as a viable and profitable industry to manage non-urban wetland areas of Sundaland, while providing specific suggestions for future developments. The book is written for ecosystem managers, conservation scientists, ecologists, and nature enthusiasts. It consists of a coherently arranged set of scientifically accurate tools that consider societal, cultural, and economic factors to succeed in the conservation of the Sundaland wetlands, as well as other wetland habitats in the world.