This book provides a single source of guidance on the protected-species survey data that accompany planning applications. Comprehensive and clear, it is an essential reference for planners and ecological consultants. New development proposals potentially affect protected species on a daily basis. For the first time, this guide brings together in one place all the key elements needed to collect and interpret survey data for protected species and therefore help determine planning applications. By working through individual species and group tables, even the least experienced planner can begin critically to evaluate the often-variable material provided by ecologists in planning submissions. Chapters cover: the planning system and biodiversity; government guidance and its interpretation; how to secure better quality data; the most recent standing advice; detailed notes on protected species; drawing in data from other surveys, and biodiversity net gain. Packed with information, the book also codifies what a planner expects from ecologists, so that both target audiences are able to work better together, and thus more effectively help safeguard protected species.

The world's ecosystems are increasingly threatened by human development. Ecological impact assessment (EcIA) is used to predict and evaluate the impacts of development on ecosystems and their components,thereby providing the information needed to ensure that ecological issues are given full and proper consideration in development planning. Environmental impact assessment (EIA) has emerged as a key to sustainable development by integrating social, economic and environmental issues in many countries. EcIA has a major part to play as a component of EIA but also has other potential applications in environmental planning and management. Ecological Impact Assessment provides a comprehensive review of the EcIA process and summarizes the ecological theories and tools that can be used to understand, explain and evaluate the ecological consequences of development proposals. It is intended for the many individuals and companies involved in EIA and EcIA, as well as other areas of environmental management where impacts on ecosystems need to be evaluated. It will benefit planners, regulators, environmental consultants and scientists and will also provide an invaluable sourcebook and guide for the growing number of undergraduate students taking courses in applied ecology, EIA and related topics in environmental science. A practical management guide for the increasing numbers of practitioners of EcIA. A rapidly expanding subject driven by the proliferation of environmental legislation worldwide.

Textbooks on the principles of conservation biology abound. Yet, how does one put this theoretical knowledge into practice? The aim of The Conservation Handbook is to provide clear guidance on the implementation of conservation techniques. The wide range of methods described include those for ecological research, monitoring, planning, education, habitat management and combining conservation with development. Nineteen case studies illustrate how the methods have been applied. The book will be of interest to conservation biology students and practicing conservationists worldwide. For each copy of the book sold, another copy will be sent free to a practicing conservationist outside Western Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Foreword by E. O. Wilson. Concise, practical guide packed full of ideas, methods and advice. Provides solutions for the main conservation problems most commonly encountered. 18 global case studies illustrate the application of techniques. The Conservation Handbook Donations Project this book is being sent free to those practising conservationists outside Western Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand and Japan who are otherwise unlikely to obtain a copy. These copies are provided at cost price by Blackwell Science, the publisher, and paid for with the author''s royalties. Each book sold means another one will be donated.

This challenging and highly practical book draws on the findings from an international study designed to help practitioners and researchers understand the factors and processes that enable healthcare organisations in the United States and Europe to achieve - and sustain - high quality services for their users. The in-depth case-studies from seven leading hospitals give an international, evidence-based outlook that focuses on both the organisational and cultural processes of quality improvement. Implication for research and practice are considered, and a checklist of possible challenges has been drawn up to help identify any 'gaps' in initiatives. Healthcare policy makers and shapers including hospital chief executives and NHS directors will find this book enlightening, as will healthcare quality improvement and service development researchers and professionals. Clinicians with an interest in quality improvement will also find much of interest.

"This is the second issue in the Global Re-introduction Perspectives series and has been produced in the same standardized format as the previous one. The case-studies are arranged in the following order: Introduction, Goals, Success Indicators, Project Summary, Major Difficulties Faced, Major Lessons Learned, Success of Project with reasons for success or failure. For this second issue we received a total of 72 case-studies compared to 62 in the last issue. These case studies cover the following taxa as follows: invertebrates (9), fish (6), amphibians (5), reptiles (7), birds (13), mammals (20) and plants (12) ... We hope the information presented in this book will provide a broad global perspective on challenges facing re-introduction projects trying to restore biodiversity."--Pritpal S. Soorae.

This book provides syntheses of ecological theories and overarching patterns of urban bird ecology that have only recently become available. The numerous habitats represented in this book ranges from rows of trees in wooded alleys, to wastelands and remnants of natural habitats encapsulated in the urban matrix. Authored by leading scientists in this emergent field, the chapters explore how the characteristics of the habitat in urban environments influence bird communities and populations at multiple levels of ecological organization and at different spatial and temporal scales, and how this information should be incorporated in urban planning to achieve an effective conservation of bird fauna in urban environments. Birds are among the most conspicuous and fascinating residents of urban neighborhoods and provide urban citizens with everyday wildlife contact all over the world. However, present urbanization trends are rapidly depleting their habitats, and thus knowledge of urban bird ecology is urgently needed if birds are to thrive in cities. The book is unique in its inclusion of examples from all continents (except Antarctica) in an effort to arrive at a more holistic perspective. Among other issues, the individual chapters address the censusing of birds in urban green spaces; the relationship between bird communities and the structure of urban green spaces; the role of exotic plant species as food sources for urban bird fauna; the influence of artificial light and pollutants on bird fauna; trends in long-term urban bird research, and transdisciplinary studies on bird sounds and their effects on humans. Several chapters investigate how our current knowledge of the ecology of urban bird fauna should be applied in order to achieve better management of urban habitats so as to achieve conservation of species or even increase species diversity. The book also provides a forward-looking summary on potential research directions. As such, it provides a valuable resource for urban ecologists, urban ecology students, landscape architects, city planners, decision makers and anyone with an interest in urban ornithology and bird conservation. Moreover, it provides a comprehensive overview for researchers in the fields of ecology and conservation of urban bird fauna.

Miombo woodlands and their use: overview and key issues. The ecology of miombo woodlands. Population biology of miombo tree. Miombo woodlands in the wider context: macro-economic and inter-sectoral influences. Rural households and miombo woodlands: use, value and management. Trade in woodland products from the miombo region. Managing miombo woodland. Institutional arrangements governing the use and the management of miombo woodlands. Miombo woodlands and rural livelihoods: options and opportunities.

This handbook outlines the main methods and techniques, both modern and traditional, used to measure insect diversity. With the growing relevance of insect conservation in nature, this guide should assist students in understanding a complicated field.