Tropical Forests of the Guiana Shield

Tropical Forests of the Guiana Shield
Author: D. S. Hammond
Publisher: CABI
Total Pages: 552
Release: 2005
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9781845930929

The Guiana Shield is an ancient geological formation located in the northern part of South America, covering an area of one million square kilometres. Despite its hostile environment, it is home to many unusual and highly specialized plants and animals, which constitute a rich area of biodiversity. Chapters in this book include hydrology, nutrient cycling, forest phenology, insect-plant interactions, forest microclimate, plant distributions, forest dynamics and conservation and management of flora and fauna. It provides a comprehensive and detailed review of the ecology, biology and natural history of the forests of the area.

Lianas of the Guianas

Lianas of the Guianas
Author: Bruce Hoffman
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2017
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9789460222245

Lianas (woody vines) are iconic symbols of tropical forests around the world. These plants use the energetically expensive investment of trees in woody stems to gain relatively inexpensive access to the light-rich canopy. The evolution of a climbing habit has occurred in many unrelated plant groups using twining and clasping shoots or specialized structures such as tendrils, hooks, spines, adhesive roots, and internal stem anatomy. Lianas contribute significantly to tropical forest diversity (25-40% of species), carbon sequestration, biomass, plant-animal interactions and forest gap dynamics. Although they are often considered pests in commercial forestry, woody climbers are important to many traditional peoples as medicines, subsistence fibers and non-timber forest products. Largely due to their inaccessibility, lianas and other climbers remain among the most poorly documented lifeforms in the tropics. 0This book aims to facilitate learning and identification of woody climbers of the Guianas (Guyana, French Guiana, and Suriname) for specialists and non-specialists by using an image-rich format, common and scientific names, simplified botanical terminology, and character icon guides, and by describing ecology and uses.

Law, Tropical Forests and Carbon

Law, Tropical Forests and Carbon
Author: Rosemary Lyster
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 309
Release: 2013-03-21
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1107328586

Emerging from the scientific parameters underpinning REDD+ (including the measurement of carbon stocks, reporting and verification), Law, Tropical Forests and Carbon considers the crucial challenges for global and national governance and the legal rights and interests of indigenous people and local communities, all of which have fundamental implications for development and poverty alleviation. With contributions from leading experts in the fields of law, governance, science, development studies and geography, it sheds light on the complexity of REDD+ and offers perspectives on the extent to which REDD+ agreements can be enforced under international law and in concert with new private and public domestic institutions.

Guyana

Guyana
Author: Kirk Smock
Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides
Total Pages: 360
Release: 2018
Genre: Travel
ISBN: 1841629294

This new third edition of Bradt's Guyana remains the only guidebook available to this South American gem, a jungle-clad country teeming with exotic wildlife. Thoroughly researched, easy to use and interesting to read, Bradt's Guyana is written and updated by writers who have lived in and promoted Guyana for many years and is an ideal companion for all travellers, from wildlife watchers to fishermen, anthropologists to conservationists and 'voluntourists'. Guyana is a destination on the rise, described - justifiably - by the tourist board as 'South America Undiscovered'. This new edition of Bradt's Guyana has been updated to include all the latest developments, ranging from how to see harpy eagles at Warapoka to new culinary experiences, local tour operators, 4x4 self-drive and new hotels. Truly off the beaten track, Guyana is one of the most fascinating and least-known countries in the Americas. It is also the only English-speaking country in South America. The jewel in its crown is the mouth-droppingly beautiful Kaieteur Falls, which is nearly five times the height of Niagara and the world's tallest single-drop waterfall. Culturally Caribbean, its capital Georgetown is a curious melting-pot of quaint Dutch and British colonial architecture, steel drums, boisterous nightlife, rum shops with world-class rum, cricket and tropical sea breezes. It is also the gateway to the lush interior which is full to the brim with fascinating flora and fauna including monkeys, black caiman, harpy eagles, giant anteaters, otters and the mighty jaguar. With Bradt's Guyana, discover all of this, plus where to stay in community lodges and see the rainforest through the eyes of Amerindian guides, where to watch turtles nesting on the beach, how to explore the moody Essequibo river (the largest between the Orinoco and the Amazon), and how to visit the million-acre rainforest reserve of Iwokrama for the ultimate authentic wildlife experience. This third edition of Bradt's Guyana is the key book to plan an expedition into its densely forested lush interior, often accessible only by boat or small aircraft, before taking some 'time to lime' in a hammock in one of its tropical waterfront resorts.

African Ethnobotany in the Americas

African Ethnobotany in the Americas
Author: Robert Voeks
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 432
Release: 2012-09-26
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1461408350

African Ethnobotany in the Americas provides the first comprehensive examination of ethnobotanical knowledge and skills among the African Diaspora in the Americas. Leading scholars on the subject explore the complex relationship between plant use and meaning among the descendants of Africans in the New World. With the aid of archival and field research carried out in North America, South America, and the Caribbean, contributors explore the historical, environmental, and political-ecological factors that facilitated/hindered transatlantic ethnobotanical diffusion; the role of Africans as active agents of plant and plant knowledge transfer during the period of plantation slavery in the Americas; the significance of cultural resistance in refining and redefining plant-based traditions; the principal categories of plant use that resulted; the exchange of knowledge among Amerindian, European and other African peoples; and the changing significance of African-American ethnobotanical traditions in the 21st century. Bolstered by abundant visual content and contributions from renowned experts in the field, African Ethnobotany in the Americas is an invaluable resource for students, scientists, and researchers in the field of ethnobotany and African Diaspora studies.

Rivers of South America

Rivers of South America
Author: Manuel A.S Graca
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 1046
Release: 2024-10-04
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0128225947

Rivers of South America examines the physical, chemical, and biological environment of South American Rivers, and the people living in their basins. The book explores the main river basins, with information on each river's history, physiography, clime, hydrology, biodiversity, ecological processes, environmental problems, management, and conservation. The book identifies conservation hotspots for riverine environments, and is enriched with a large number of maps, photos, graphs, and tables. This reference is important for aquatic ecologists, environmental authorities, local and national governments, academics, NGOs, and those interested in the preservation and management of flowing waters. - Presents boxed information in each chapter to provide clear and consistent highlights throughout - Provides a single source of information for South America's major rivers - Offers full-color photographs and topographical maps to demonstrate the beauty, major features, and uniqueness of each river system

Routledge Handbook of Forest Ecology

Routledge Handbook of Forest Ecology
Author: Kelvin S.-H. Peh
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 849
Release: 2015-10-16
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1317816439

This comprehensive handbook provides a unique resource covering all aspects of forest ecology from a global perspective. It covers both natural and managed forests, from boreal, temperate, sub-tropical and tropical regions of the world. The book is divided into seven parts, addressing the following themes: forest types forest dynamics forest flora and fauna energy and nutrients forest conservation and management forests and climate change human impacts on forest ecology. While each chapter can stand alone as a suitable resource for a lecture or seminar, the complete book provides an essential reference text for a wide range of students of ecology, environmental science, forestry, geography and natural resource management. Contributors include leading authorities from all parts of the world.

Tropical Rain Forest Ecology, Diversity, and Conservation

Tropical Rain Forest Ecology, Diversity, and Conservation
Author: Jaboury Ghazoul
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 534
Release: 2023-04-10
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 0198897065

Rain forests represent the world's richest repository of terrestrial biodiversity, and play a major role in regulating the global climate. They support the livelihoods of a substantial proportion of the world's population and are the source of many internationally traded commodities. They remain (despite decades of conservation attention) increasingly vulnerable to degradation and clearance, with profound though often uncertain future costs to global society. Understanding the ecology of these diverse biomes, and peoples' dependencies on them, is fundamental to their future management and conservation. Tropical Rain Forest Ecology, Diversity, and Conservation introduces and explores what rain forests are, how they arose, what they contain, how they function, and how humans use and impact them. The book starts by introducing the variety of rain forest plants, fungi, microorganisms, and animals, emphasising the spectacular diversity that is the motivation for their conservation. The central chapters describe the origins of rain forest communities, the variety of rain forest formations, and their ecology and dynamics. The challenge of explaining the species richness of rain forest communities lies at the heart of ecological theory, and forms a common theme throughout. The book's final section considers historical and current interactions of humans and rain forests. It explores biodiversity conservation as well as livelihood security for the many communities that are dependent on rain forests - inextricable issues that represent urgent priorities for scientists, conservationists, and policy makers.

Tropical Rain Forests

Tropical Rain Forests
Author: Richard T. Corlett
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 485
Release: 2011-03-03
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 144439228X

The first edition of Tropical Rain Forests: an Ecological and Biogeographical Comparison exploded the myth of ‘the rain forest’ as a single, uniform entity. In reality, the major tropical rain forest regions, in tropical America, Africa, Southeast Asia, Madagascar, and New Guinea, have as many differences as similarities, as a result of their isolation from each other during the evolution of their floras and faunas. This new edition reinforces this message with new examples from recent and on-going research. After an introduction to the environments and geological histories of the major rain forest regions, subsequent chapters focus on plants, primates, carnivores and plant-eaters, birds, fruit bats and gliding animals, and insects, with an emphasis on the ecological and biogeographical differences between regions. This is followed by a new chapter on the unique tropical rain forests of oceanic islands. The final chapter, which has been completely rewritten, deals with the impacts of people on tropical rain forests and discusses possible conservation strategies that take into account the differences highlighted in the previous chapters. This exciting and very readable book, illustrated throughout with color photographs, will be invaluable reading for undergraduate students in a wide range of courses as well as an authoritative reference for graduate and professional ecologists, conservationists, and interested amateurs.