Using a geographic approach to the study of the environment and environmental policy, the authors have successfully integrated physical, economic, social and political considerations of the major natural resource issues facing the world today. Features many maps, photos and other visual materials to reinforce learning. New to this edition is material on toxic substances and land resources as well as a focus on current issues in the topic.

This text integrates the physical, economic, social, and political considerations in our examination of the major natural resource issues facing the world today. It includes a wide range of opinions and interpretations of natural resource issues which provide both a balanced review and a basis for discussion.

"In the late 2000s, ordinary citizens in Jamaica and Mexico demanded that government put a stop to lucrative but environmentally harmful economic development activities -- bauxite mining in Jamaica and large-scale tourism and overfishing on the eastern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula. In each case, the catalyst for the campaign was information gathered and disseminated by transnational advocacy networks (TANs) of researchers, academics, and activists. Both campaigns were successful despite opposition from industry supporters. Meanwhile, simultaneous campaigns to manage land in another part of the Yucatán and to conserve migratory birds in Egypt had far less success. Fuentes-George uses these four cases to analyze factors that determine the success or failure of efforts by TANs to persuade policymakers and private sector actors in developing countries to change environmental behavior."--Provided by publisher.

Sea otters are good indicators of ocean health. In addition, they are a keystone species, offering a stabilizing effect on ecosystem, controlling sea urchin populations that would otherwise inflict damage to kelp forest ecosystems. The kelp forest ecosystem is crucial for marine organisms and contains coastal erosion. With the concerns about the imperiled status of sea otter populations in California, Aleutian Archipelago and coastal areas of Russia and Japan, the last several years have shown growth of interest culturally and politically in the status and preservation of sea otter populations. Sea Otter Conservation brings together the vast knowledge of well-respected leaders in the field, offering insight into the more than 100 years of conservation and research that have resulted in recovery from near extinction. This publication assesses the issues influencing prospects for continued conservation and recovery of the sea otter populations and provides insight into how to handle future global changes. - Covers scientific, cultural, economic and political components of sea otter conservation - Provides guidance on how to manage threats to the sea otter populations in the face of future global changes - Highlights the effects that interactions of coastal animals have with the marine ecosystem

This volume contains selected papers presented at the International Symposium on 'Economics of Eco system Management' held in Halkidiki, Greece from 26 to 30 September 1983. The meeting was designed to consider as much as possible the interaction between the economy and ecology, and in parallel to provide a forum for the presentation of the ecological and developmental initiatives of the Ministry of Youth of Greece. As chairman of the organizing committee I want to express our thanks to OECD, EEC and UNESCO for sponsoring the Symposium. From Greece the Ministries of Culture and Environment are gratefully acknowl edged. Last but not least, I want to express our sincere thanks for the continuous support to the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Greece, and especially to the Minister Mr. Kostas Laliotis because he not only adopted the idea for sponsoring events like this, but also because of his interest which became obvious with his presence and talk during the meeting. The staff of the Ecology Division, namely Drs. M. Arianoutsou and D. Vokou, Messrs. J. Pandis, Th.A. Mardiris, S. Paraskevopoulos and Miss A. Papagianni provided great help concerning the organization, as well as Mrs. A. Karamanli-Vlahopoulou, my secretary, who is always behind these events. N.S. Margaris Contents Preface by N. S. Margaris V List of contributors VIII PART ONE: INTRODUCTION 1. Opening address by G. Schneider ................................................................. .

Human exploitation of other mammals has passed through three histori cal phases, distinct in their ecological significance though overlapping in time. Initially, Homo sapiens was a predator, particularly of herbivores but also of fur-bearing predators. From about 11 000 years ago, goats and sheep were domesticated in the Middle East, rapidly replacing gazelles and other game as the principal source of meat. The principal crops, including wheat and barley, were taken into agriculture at about the same time, and the resulting Neolithic farming culture spread slowly from there over the subsequent 10 500 years. In a few places such as Mexico, Peru and China, this Middle Eastern culture met and merged with agricultural traditions that had made a similar but independent transition. These agricultural traditions provided the essential support for the industrial revolution, and for a third phase of industrial exploita tion of mammals. In this chapter, these themes are drawn out and their ecological signifi cance is investigated. Some of the impacts of humans on other mammals require consideration on a world-wide basis, but the chapter concen trates, parochially, on Great Britain. What have been the ecological consequences of our exploitation of other mammals? 2. 2 HISTORICAL PHASES OF EXPLOITATION 2. 2. 1 Predatory man Our nearest relatives - chimpanzees, orang utans and gorillas - are essentially forest species, deriving most of their diet from the fruits of forest trees and the shoots and leaves of plants.