Økologi, biosfæren

This book thoroughly examines the aims of green urbanism, providing a perspective to help responding to the growing environmental challenges posed by the enormous increase in human needs. The book gives insights about architectural intervention in urban planning which provides green design strategies in a way that improves the efficiency of building in terms of energy consumption and environmental conservation. The book also gives attention to the paradigm of the `intermediate city', thus, helping in overcoming the challenges posed by the growing urbanization process. Finally, the book gives a futuristic vision of cities, anticipating their challenges and providing possible solutions for them. The book targets a wide audience interested in implementing the SDG goals in energy and green urban planning, and those interested the interdisciplinary nature of green urbanization and alternative and renewable energy accommodates.The book is a culmination of selected research papers from the 4th version of the International Online Conference on Green Urbanism (GU) of Roma Tre University, Italy (2020) & the 3rd version of the International Online Conference on Alternative and Renewable Energy Quest (2020).

This book includes description of main morphological characteristics of 435 species (including varieties and subspecies) belonging to 57 families and 233 genera of endemic and endangered plants of Hulun Buir Rangeland in China. A brief description of the morphological characteristics of each plant, flowering period, zoning, habitat, and the usage habits of most plants, together with 1 to 4 photographs taken in the field are provided. This work is designed not only for researchers working in rangeland science, ecological restoration and protection but also for professionals working in rangeland and related fields. The work is a result of many years of rangeland plant collection and specimens identification.

This book describes leading research in bioengineering for development of novel technologies for ferrous metal extraction. The author includes new developments in molecular biology, biochemistry, microbiology, cell metabolism, and engineering principles and applies them to the conventional iron ore industry - proposing innovative solutions to various industry challenges. The book focuses on applied approaches and describes emerging and established industrial processes, as well as the underlying theory of the process, and the biology of the microorganisms involved.Elaborates on bioprocessing technologies applicable for extraction of ferrous metals using cross-pollination of microbiology and extractive metallurgy;Presents a systematic overview of bioprocessing technologies encompassing laboratory research, pilot scale studies, and industrial process flowsheet design;Provides comprehensive coverage of the engineering principles behind bioprocesses of iron ores including material and energy balances, transport processes, reactions and reactor engineering.

This book includes peer-reviewed articles from the 8th International Conference on Sustainable Urban Development (ICSUD 2022), held at the Vietnamese-German University (VGU) in Vietnam. The theme of the conference is ¿innovative and inclusive growth models for sustainable urban development¿. Articles in this book present major issues that cities and regions around the world are facing these days to adapt to new, unexpected, and profound challenges.Over past few years, the world has been observing meaningful reactions to crises. From the pandemic to war, energy, and food shortages, there are always opportunities for innovations. Some firms still thrived in the city lock-down; some groups stayed healthier with less income; and certain municipalities consumed less resources to attain higher outcomes. However, the rise of digital economy, the importance of proximity or near-shore supply chain, or the new contribution of different communities at different levels are generalized asnew growth models for changes.

Explore the past, present, and future of the everyday stuff in your home, from tinned food to tampons. Learn how 30,000 bath toys and the work of amateur beachcombers have helped scientists study ocean currents. Explore how the search for a death ray led to the creation of the microwave oven and ready meals. Discover the surprising link between sticky tape and the Nobel Prize. Uncover the extraordinary stories of ordinary objects in this perfect gift for curious minds. From the creators of the A Brief History of Stuff podcast and inspired by the incredible artefacts in the Science Museum Group Collection, this collection of entertaining essays reveals the fascinating history behind some of the most mundane items in our homes.

This book showcases the latest trends and innovations in the field of Green Building, covering topics from research and design to innovative practices and challenges. It is a compilation of communication papers presented at the 2023 International Conference on Green Building (ICoGB 2023), a leading annual event that focuses on sharing and discussing developments in this field. Green Building principles constitute key aspects to achieve the sustainable development goals. This conference is dedicated to providing a platform for researchers, scientists, engineers, and scholars to exchange and share their experiences, new ideas, and research and to discuss the challenges encountered as well as the solutions adopted. ICoGB 2023 was organized in Malmo, Sweden, during May 19¿21, 2023. The target audience are all professionals in the building design and construction fields, such as architects, engineers, scholars, researchers, builders, promoters, among others.

This book covers broader application of biotechnology for the protection of environment through different bioremediation and biodegradation techniques developed for removal of environmental contaminants including the recently discovered contaminants. The book offers a comprehensive overview of environmental pollutants including their fate, behavior, environmental and associated health risks. It is useful reading material for postgraduate and graduate students of environmental biotechnology, environmental microbiology and ecology. Young researchers also find the chapters useful understanding the latest developments.

As agroecology gains momentum in the international research-for-development arena, there is an urgent need for methods and tools to support the codesign and evaluation of agroecological systems and their transitions. The social and ecological complexity of agroecosystems, their dynamics, uncertainties and sustainability, calls for a holistic, systemic approach to agroecology. As such, several questions arise for example: how do we deal with heterogeneity, landscapes, biodiversity or learning processes in agroecosystems analysis? How do we categorise diversity or analyse trade-offs in social-ecological interactions? How do we conceptualise, codesign and monitor agroecological transitions? This book sets out to answer these questions by building on the valuable ¿classics¿ in agroecology. The book presents a systems perspective that underpins a combination of methodologies, ranging from participatory tools and field observations to mathematical simulation modelling. Researchers, advanced students and transdisciplinary practitioners will find in this book insights and methods to design research and (co-) innovation processes to foster agroecological transitions.

This third compilation of Dr. Karl P.N. Shuker's ShukerNature blog articles delves into a delectable variety of curious zoological subjects, from the Nandi bear and jungle walruses to striped mantas and giant monitor lizards. Dr. Shuker discusses the history of the Crystal Palace dinosaur statues, reviews the famous Surgeon's photograph of Loch Ness, and examines the history of a little hybrid elephant. Readers familiar with Dr. Shuker's ShukerNature blog will be delighted to add this collection of updated articles to their library, while new readers will find this an open invitation to explore the fascinating, curious, and surprising mysteries of the natural world.

In recent decades, practices like the cultivation of a few high-yielding crop varieties on a large scale, the application of heavy machinery and continued mechanization of agriculture, the removal of natural habitats, and the application of pesticides and synthetics have resulted in the simplification of agro-ecosystems. This has enabled a substantial increase in food production but has at the same time transformed landscapes. Indeed, there is a concern that a decline in biodiversity has affected microbiome activities that support processes across soils, plants, animals, the marine environment, and humans. Although they have increased food production, the above practices cannot be considered sustainable in long-term applications.Biodiversity, Functional Ecosystems, and Sustainable Food Production explore ecosystems in terms of crop and animal production, pest and disease control, nutrient cycling, and soil fertility. Chapters range from agro-biodiversity to antimicrobial use in animal food production to microbiome applications for sustainable food systems and the impacts of environment-friendly unit operations on the functional properties of bee pollen. By examining such topics about each other, the text emphasizes how food production, ecosystem function, food quality, and consumer health are all interconnected.

This book examines ways of conserving, managing, and interacting with plant and animal resources by Native American cultural groups of the Pacific Coast of North America, from Alaska to California. These practices helped them maintain and restore ecological balance for thousands of years. Building upon the authors' and others' previous works, the book brings in perspectives from ethnography and marine evolutionary ecology. The core of the book consists of Native American testimony: myths, tales, speeches, and other texts, which are treated from an ecological viewpoint. The focus on animals and in-depth research on stories, especially early recordings of texts, set this book apart. The book is divided into two parts, covering the Northwest Coast, and California. It then follows the division in lifestyle between groups dependent largely on fish and largely on seed crops. It discusses how the survival of these cultures functions in the contemporary world, as First Nations demand recognition and restoration of their ancestral rights and resource management practices.

This book is about environmental and climate legal protection in the energy transition. The Paris Agreement has a binding commitment of holding the global temperature increase to 2(deg)C while pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5(deg)C. To cope with the negative effects of climate changes and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, one of the primary responses has been the deployment of renewable energy sources, transiting from fossil fuels to sustainable electricity production. However, renewable energy sources can also cause significant environmental impacts. Wind energy, for instance, can impact biodiversity, such as birds and bats, killing them when colliding with turbines and affecting their migration and nesting.This results in conflicts in environmental law.  This book questions whether, in the energy transition, the generation of electricity from renewable sources to protect the climate is compatible with the protection of the environment, both interests in environmental law.To address this question, this book follows a legal-environmental perspective and assesses the common problem of solving those internal environmental conflicts in Brazilian and German law to understand and compare whether and how both legal systems solve the conflicts by compatibilizing the protection of the climate with other environmental interests. The legal analysis focuses on land-use planning and environmental licensing, assessing similarities and differences, and evaluating the results, identifying what one country can learn from the other.

This book is the first comprehensive account of the modern Kenya Rift Valley lakes and their precursor lakes preserved in the sedimentary record. The first part gives the broad geological and environmental background to the Kenya Rift and a history of research. In the second part, each modern lake is described from perspectives of geology, limnology, ecology, sedimentology and late Quaternary history. The fossil lake sediments, some linked to hominin sites, and their paleoenvironmental history are considered in the third part. In the fourth section, the global tectonic, volcanic and climate controls of lake evolution in continental rifts are examined. The last section discusses the resource potential of the lakes and their sediments, and the environmental issues that currently affect the modern lakes. This research-level book (geology, paleoecology) is illustrated throughout by original figures and photographs.

This edited book discusses how effective soil carbon management plans and policies will ultimately make agriculture more secure against climate change and soil degradation. It is focused on initiatives to enhance soil organic carbon (SOC) and sequestration by launching different schemes and programs. An approach based on practical aspects of managing SOC in agriculture is provided with clear and concise descriptions. It has more attention to successfully implement plans and policies to meet the required level of SOC restoration. The book is covering the urgent needs of plans and policies for soil management and C restoration in agricultural ecosystems which can be beneficial to food, nutrition, environment, and economy security. There is also providing a roadmap on SOC policies to encourage the use of best management practices (BMPs) for soil health and C stock restoration, and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. The book is suitable for teachers, researchers, government planners and policymakers, undergraduate and graduate students of soil science, soil microbiology, agronomy, ecology, and environmental sciences.

This book provides a comprehensive study of the notion of responsibility in environmental governance. It starts with the observation that, although the rhetoric of responsibility is indeed all-pervasive in environmental and sustainability-related fields, decisive political action is still lacking. Governance architectures increasingly strive to hold different stakeholders responsible by installing accountability and transparency mechanisms to manage environmental problems, yet the structural background conditions affecting these issues continue to generate unevenly distributed, socially unjust, and ecologically devastating consequences. Responsibility in Environmental Governance develops the concept of responsibility as an analytical approach to map and understand these dynamics and to situate diverse meanings of responsibility within larger socio-political contexts. It applies this approach to the study of food waste governance, uncovering a narrow governance focus on accountability, optimization, and consumer behavior change strategies, opening up spaces for organizing more democratic solutions to a truly global problem.

This book focuses on regions for which until now the geomorphology was very poorly studied and relatively unknown. Nevertheless, the landforms and landscapes of the Horn of Africa are highly attractive, diverse and in a few cases unique, since they span very different environments, from highland plateaus and mountains to lowlands (even below sea level) and coastlines with a high degree of diversity and from monsoon to arid climate conditions.  The main topics addressed in the book include the links between the geological evolution and the current large scale geomorphology of the Horn of Africa; the large differences between the highlands and lowlands climate, river hydrology and their variation through time within a climate change perspective. This part of the world was home of the very first hominids. The landscape in which they lived and evolved throughout the Pleistocene is described in comparison with the arid and inhospitable, though immensely scenic, environment of today. Perennial and ephemeral rivers with very different morphology, processes, and hydrology drain the area, and, in combination with the past and recent uplift, substantially contributed to provide the region with peculiar landscapes and landforms. Long lasting weathering and erosion processes result in a typical inselberg landscape such as the Bur region, or the currently exposed flatland of old peneplain surfaces. Their changes through time, induced by both natural and anthropogenic factors, are addressed by a couple of case studies. Though the region has few inhabitants, they had to struggle to find their livelihood in a land that offers poor resources. This resulted in landscape change and land degradation. Examples of human impact on the landscape are presented at different scales.  This book provides readers interested in geography and geomorphology with essential scientific and educational information on the Landscapes and Landforms of Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia through simple, though scientifically, rigorous texts illustrated with several color maps and photos. One main prerogative of this book is therefore to give an insight into a region of the world where, for geographical and historical constraints, geomorphological investigation was very limited, thus enriching its intrinsic informative value.

This book represents a multidisciplinary and international vision across different countries in Europe that are facing similar challenges about ageing and quality of life in present cities. It is divided in three main topics from the global context of health in cities and reduction of health inequities to the current research of different study cases, focusing on residential models and the relationship with the built environment. The third chapter illustrates best practices with some study cases from different cities in Europe. Friendlier environments for older people come together with the need of innovation, smart and updated technologies, healthier environments and mitigation of climate change.  Health re-appears nowadays as one of the priorities for urban planning and design, not only for the communicable diseases and the effect of the pandemics, but also for the non-communicable diseases, that were also triggering the wellbeing and equity of our cities. Indeed, the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted health inequities and vulnerabilities of those areas of the city that were already deprived and facing other health problems, such as obesity, diabetes, social isolation, respiratory problems or mental health issues, specifically applying for vulnerable groups. Older adults have been one of the most affected groups from the pandemic's threats and derived consequences. In this context, the care crisis arises intertwined with the design and planning of our cities, where there is an urgent need to regenerate our environments with a perspective of sustainability, inclusion, and health prevention and promotion. From the global urban challenges to the specific contextualisation of each city and study cases, each chapter offers an updated insight of the main questions that we should consider to address urban planning and design from the perspective of ageing and social inclusion in European cities.

Snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is an endangered species, and its population size is steadily declining. The main threats to the snow leopard include illegal trade, conflict with locals (human-snow leopard conflict), lack of conservation, awareness and policy, and climate change. To avoid its extinction, we badly need a good knowledge of its ecology, distribution and population dynamics, including interactions with its prey, which will take into account various scenarios of changes in climate and human impact on snow leopard. This book aims to put together a considerable amount of unpublished data collected by the co-author of most of the chapters, Bikram Shrestha, which might be useful for other researchers working on snow leopard. In addition, researchers might find it useful to have a key for determining the diet of snow leopard based on remnants of its food in its scats. Last, but not least, based on the difficulty we experienced trying to compare and combine different sets of results, we propose a general methodology for collecting data. Thus, this book is not an all-encompassing compendium, but an attempt to fill some gaps in the literature and to show, how to publish new data on snow leopard in a useful and workable way. The first part, describing the main features of snow leopard and its main prey ecology, is followed by a comprehensive review of data available on its abundance and threats to its survival. The third, most extensive part-the substance of the book-presents new data from 15 years of intensive camera trapping combined with scat sampling. These data are analyzed by means of advances GIS and genetic techniques, which yields a large amount of conservation implications.The purpose of this book is to provide a tool for both environmental managers and researchers to find quickly what is known about this species for conservation planning and for an effective protection of snow leopard. However, enthusiasts interested in wild cats may welcome the book, too.

This book discusses plant invasions and environmental impacts on the Himalayas through a novel procedure, and helps to understand the influences of climate, physiography, soil, and disturbance on plant richness in mountain systems. Assessing invasion risks to mountain space under future climate change scenarios is highly significant for appropriate preparedness, and this book details analytical and modeling techniques to assess the conditions of mountain ecosystem and ecology to better inform our preparation for future environmental challenges. The book presents the state-of-the-art understanding of the species-environment relationships in a global biodiversity hotspot, relatively unexplored areas for the Himalayan life-form richness. The book provides not only the academic but also the professional community and policymakers a review and update on modeling applications for determining interactions of the plant species with the environment of a subtropical mountain ecosystem across a climatic gradient. Currently, there is no book in the market addressing the implementation and applications of modeling in the Himalayan plant and environment continuum, and most of the existing books cover the species richness pattern along the elevation gradient and basic ethnobotanical features of a mountain system. Since the book covers the applications of novel methods and modeling for ecological analysis of mountain ecosystems, it will also be significant for the professional market. Therefore, the book aims to fill the gap between scientists and professionals in the use of modeling strategies to monitor biodiversity in mountain systems for the formulation of conservation, adaptation, and mitigation principles.

This handbook in two volumes offers a heretofore unavailable compilation of detailed information on foraminifera of the Caspian-Black Sea-Mediterranean Corridors ("e;CORRIDORS"e;), including their taxonomy, ecology, and applications in the study of Quaternary stratigraphy, paleogeographic reconstruction, and environmental stress. This subject is significant in light of the ongoing debates regarding the Flood Hypotheses because foraminifera can provide more information about many of the disputed questions. Foraminifera are highly reliable paleoenvironmental indicators, ubiquitous in marine environments, and taxonomically diverse, which gives them the potential for a wide range of biological responses to varied environmental factors. Their tests are readily preserved and can record evidence of environmental change through time, thus providing historical baseline data even in the absence of background studies. This book presents taxonomic descriptions for about 500 species and subspecies from the Black Sea, Sea of Azov, Caspian Sea, Aral Sea, Sea of Marmara, and the Eastern Mediterranean. This catalogue is supplemented by ecological remarks, stratigraphic distributions, paleogeography, and environmental/paleoenvironmental applications, including responses to environmental stress, e.g., river discharge, pollution by different contaminants, etc. The book will be useful to specialists in Quaternary history of the "e;CORRIDORS"e; as well as those in environmental monitoring and risk assessment. This handbook offers detailed taxonomic descriptions of foraminifera from the Black Sea, Caspian Sea, Sea of Azov, Aral Sea (in Volume 1) and Eastern Mediterranean and Sea of Marmara (in Volume 2). 

The Freshwaters of Patagonia adopts a socioecological approach, in which experts from across Patagonia review recent, scientifically rigorous literature and data of their own, thus synthesizing the current knowledge directly relevant to understand the present state and future trends of icefields, freshwater and wetland ecosystems in this region.The book's organization into three parts provides a studied and comprehensive view on the patterns and processes of the various ecosystems in Patagonia, and describes the sociological aspects of freshwater ecosystems, as well as characterizes the conservation of the freshwater and wetland ecosystems, in Patagonia. The chapters offer a broad, state-of-the-art overview of the current status of glaciers, freshwater and wetland ecosystems of this region, as well as studies of both local and large scale biodiversity patterns, and study cases of extreme and naturally polluted environments.The volume concludes with the current status of Patagonian freshwaters, and discusses the scientific, legal and administrative tools aimed at their sustainable management within the framework of the UNEP Sustainable Development Goals 2030 Agenda. A broad audience of students, scientists, engineers, environmental managers, and policy makers will be interested in this volume.

This edited book brings out comprehensive insights on agro-forestry systems to cope up climate change globally. The main essence of this book is to unfurl the positive sides of agri-silvipastoral system to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) and temperature. Agro-forestry can be defined as the farming practice combining field crops, perennial trees and livestock. The impact of agro-forestry on ecology is implacable which is thoroughly discussed under different heads in this book. In addition, the book is bundle of different novel sections including tables, graphical representation, and figures showcasing the bright side of agro-forestry system. Furthermore, trees which are important component of boosting socio-economic conditions, especially for the indigenous populations have also been discussed meticulously. Hence, all together this book deciphers an account of agro-forestry practices in society and environment along with the major pros- and cons- of the system. Undoubtedly, this information could enrich the scholarly knowledge for graduate research fellows, teachers, scientists, researchers, and environmentalists in gaining multifaceted information of agro-forestry system in both ecological and economical aspects. Different research highlights will be helpful for the policy makers to implement this novel practice in intensive production systems and harness the maximum benefits out of this.

The book deals with the pricing of ecosystem services provided by agriculture. All provisioning, regulating, supporting and cultural services are being covered in this title. Chapters in this contributed volume cover topics such as pricing of services from the soil, water, and nutrient management. Quantified monetary values of carbon sequestration and renewable energy applications in agriculture are covered with clear-cut methodologies. This book also links ecosystem service-based pricing with crop insurance. Improving the farmers' livelihood is the central goal of the agricultural production system throughout the world. Under the climate change context, farms' produce is now climate-vulnerable and heavily dependent on weather conditions. Moreover, we often neglect the contribution of several positive impacts of agricultural practices on ecosystems and natural resources. Therefore, there is a need to quantify and value these ecosystem services in agriculture. However, valuation and pricing the services in agriculture both tangible and intangible is a challenge. It is necessary to have clear-cut methodologies for pricing ecosystem services of agriculture in terms of net monetary benefits. The ecosystem service-based pricing could be a solid basis for calculating the insurance to farmers in case of occurrence of natural hazard and associated crop damage.This book is of interest to scholars, teachers, researchers, environmental scientists, watershed managers, capacity builders, and policymakers. The book also serves as effective reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of agriculture economics, ecology, agronomy, and environmental sciences. National and international agricultural scientists, policymakers will also find this to be useful.

The Pocket Gophers (Genus Thomomys) of Utah ; University of Kansas Publications, Museum of Natural History, Vol. 1 No. 1, a classical book, has been considered essential throughout the human history, and so that this work is never forgotten we at Alpha Editions have made efforts in its preservation by republishing this book in a modern format for present and future generations. This whole book has been reformatted, retyped and designed. These books are not made of scanned copies of their original work and hence the text is clear and readable.

Pipistrellus cinnamomeus Miller 1902 Referred to the Genus Myotis, a classical book, has been considered essential throughout the human history, and so that this work is never forgotten we at Alpha Editions have made efforts in its preservation by republishing this book in a modern format for present and future generations. This whole book has been reformatted, retyped and designed. These books are not made of scanned copies of their original work and hence the text is clear and readable.

Pleistocene Bats from San Josecito Cave, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, a classical book, has been considered essential throughout the human history, and so that this work is never forgotten we at Alpha Editions have made efforts in its preservation by republishing this book in a modern format for present and future generations. This whole book has been reformatted, retyped and designed. These books are not made of scanned copies of their original work and hence the text is clear and readable.

Pleistocene Pocket Gophers From San Josecito Cave, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, a classical book, has been considered essential throughout the human history, and so that this work is never forgotten we at Alpha Editions have made efforts in its preservation by republishing this book in a modern format for present and future generations. This whole book has been reformatted, retyped and designed. These books are not made of scanned copies of their original work and hence the text is clear and readable.