Wetlands are among the world’s most productive and valuable ecosystems and are an integral part of many ecosystems. This book attempts to raise awareness on the relevance of wetland systems and their current impacts and existency threats in different regions of the world. It aims at describing the status, challenges and loss of wetlands related to conflicts between anthropic activities and natural ecosystem services fundamental for people’s livelihoods.
After the 30-year long civil war was over, the Government of Sri Lanka commenced an accelerated programme to develop the Northern Province. If not carefully planned, such a programme will result in the loss of biodiversity and the consequent loss of services that ecosystems provide humans. Therefore, documenting the biodiversity found within coastal, nearshore and offshore islands of the Northern Province was identified as a need that would help both planners and conservation biologists alike.
This publication offers nature lovers and visitors to tropical Asia an intriguing insight into the natural history of some of the continent's least known and most threatened species. It also reports on the conservation efforts on the ground that are ongoing to preserve these precious forest landscapes and address the threats of the future.
There is a growing recognition that living well must go beyond economic and material plenty to encompass social and spiritual well-being. This book provides an introduction to the concept of human well-being as it relates to international rural development and conservation policy and practice. It demonstrates that well-being is understood and managed in a variety of ways in different cultures but also across the geographical scales at which decision-making processes take place, from the local, to regional, national and international scales.
