Few, if any, environments are free of human intervention. Often this generates ecosystems which are rich in biodiversity, historical interest, recreational opportunity and scenic beauty just as worthy of conservation as the more natural ecosystems on which protection programmes have been almost exclusively focussed. These 'cultural landscapes', ranging from the farm and forest lands of Europe and Eastern North America, through to the pasture lands and savannas of the Middle East and Africa to the paddylands of the Pacific Rim, are usually the product of relatively low-level, sustainable exploitation of the environment over long periods of time. Many have survived for centuries, if not millennia, but now urban expansion, depopulation of rural areas and, most damagingly, the intensification of agricultural and sylvicultural practices, are everywhere leading to a loss of their cherished biodiversity and amenity. Whilst past changes have mostly added to the valued characteristics of these landscapes, modern farming and forestry are creating sterile monocultures on the better land whilst marginal lands are being abandoned. This book documents these changes, illustrates them through detailed case studies of a representative selection of threatened landscapes, analyses their underlying causes and explores ways by which they can continue to be maintained, or new landscapes created which maintain their desired characteristics.

Habitat loss and degradation that comes as a result of human activity is the single biggest threat to biodiversity in the world today. Habitat Fragmentation and Landscape Change is a groundbreaking work that brings together a wealth of information from a wide range of sources to define the ecological problems caused by landscape change and to highlight the relationships among landscape change, habitat fragmentation, and biodiversity conservation. The book: synthesizes a large body of information from the scientific literature considers key theoretical principles for examining and predicting effects examines the range of effects that can arise explores ways of mitigating impacts reviews approaches to studying the problem discusses knowledge gaps and future areas for research and management Habitat Fragmentation and Landscape Change offers a unique mix of theoretical and practical information, outlining general principles and approaches and illustrating those principles with case studies from around the world. It represents a definitive overview and synthesis on the full range of topics that fall under the widely used but often vaguely defined term "habitat fragmentation."

In the United States and Canada, thousands of species of native plants are edging toward the brink of extinction, and they are doing so quietly. They are slipping away inconspicuously from settings as diverse as backyards and protected lands. The factors that have contributed to their disappearance are varied and complex, but the consequences of their loss are immeasurable. With extensive histories of a cast of familiar and rare North American plants, The Quiet Extinction explores the reasons why many of our native plants are disappearing. Curious minds will find a desperate struggle for existence waged by these plants and discover the great environmental impacts that could come if the struggle continues. Kara Rogers relates the stories of some of North America’s most inspiring rare and threatened plants. She explores, as never before, their significance to the continent’s natural heritage, capturing the excitement of their discovery, the tragedy that has come to define their existence, and the remarkable efforts underway to save them. Accompanied by illustrations created by the author and packed with absorbing detail, The Quiet Extinction offers a compelling and refreshing perspective of rare and threatened plants and their relationship with the land and its people.

Combatting Cyber Terrorism – A guide to understanding the cyber threat landscape and incident response planning In his second book with IT Governance Publishing, Richard Bingley’s Combatting Cyber Terrorism – A guide to understanding the cyber threat landscape and incident response planning analyses the evolution of cyber terrorism and what organisations can do to mitigate this threat. This book discusses: Definitions of cyber terrorism; Ideologies and idealisations that can lead to cyber terrorism; How threat actors use computer systems to diversify, complicate and increase terrorist attack impacts; The role of Big Tech and social media organisations such as X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram within the cyber threat landscape; and How organisations can prepare for acts of cyber terrorism via security planning and incident response strategies such as ISO 31000, ISO 27001 and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. Increasingly, cyber security practitioners are confronted with a stark phrase: cyber terrorism. For many, it conveys fear and hopelessness. What is this thing called ‘cyber terrorism’ and what can we begin to do about it? Malicious-minded ICT users, programmers and even programs (including much AI-powered software) have all been instrumental in recruiting, inspiring, training, executing and amplifying acts of terrorism. This has resulted in the loss of life and/or life-changing physical injuries that could never have occurred without support and facilitation from the cyber sphere. These types of attacks can be encapsulated by the phrase ‘cyber terrorism’. The Internet is an integral part of everyday life for the vast majority of organisations and people. Web access has become viewed as an essential human right, and a prerequisite of citizenship and societal belonging. Despite well-meaning interventions by a range of influential stakeholders (tech companies, governments, police and academia), our computer networks remain riddled with cyber threats. Accessing terrorism content does not require much in the way of research skills, technical ability or patience. This book recounts case studies to show the types of threats we face and provides a comprehensive coverage of risk management tactics and strategies to protect yourself against such nefarious threat actors. These include key mitigation and controls for information security or security and HR-related professionals.

The book deals with technological governance of cyberspace and threat landscape, with a special focus on the Indian context. It provides a historical and chronological understanding of cyber threats across the world, and their impact on the nation-states. It places the cyber technological paradigms and platforms in various theoretical frameworks. The core section of the book deals with the cyber technological paradigms, i.e., governance, policing, and diplomacy in Digital India. The scenario of artificial intelligence (AI) in India is also dealt with, comparing AI in India with those of international actors. The book analyses in detail, the overall structural and institutional frameworks, entailing the need to leap towards what is considered as Reimagining India. It provides policy recommendations and suggestions on improving various actions, initiatives and resilience related taken in order to deal with the chaotic features of cyber technological threat landscape in India.