This book is about the conduct and contributions of applied social science. It represents the beginning of a new intellectual tradition in applied social science and its purpose is to foster an exchange among the variety of social scientists who are concerned with natural resource policy.

First Published in 2003. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

This book was first published in 2006. Despite many well-intentioned policies and changes to management practices, the world's natural resources continue to decline. The roles and interplay between science and policy in the regional broadacre agriculture landscape are examined here, offering readers a thorough understanding of the complex interactions that occur across spatial scales to produce the regional-scale impacts. The fundamental causes of resource degradation, social decline and environmental pollution are addressed, examining the cross-scale drivers from the individual farm level to the global level of commodity systems. Broadacre agriculture is a common land use throughout all continents of the world and is driven by the same type of dynamics, and this case study of the Western Australia agricultural region can be used to clearly demonstrate the principles for other agricultural systems. Aimed at academics, ranging from researchers through to policy analysts, this book will inspire innovation and action in sustainable natural resource management.

Stress on natural resources has recently increased due to commercialization and the need to provide livelihoods for locals. Because they are such core parts of everyday life, ensuring sustainability in resource management is of paramount importance. Only by integrating the tools of spatial information science can an effective course for preserving and protecting natural resources be created. Spatial Information Science for Natural Resource Management is a pivotal reference source that explores coordinated approaches to sustainable development and management of natural resources to keep a balance of the environment, ecology, and human livelihood. Featuring coverage on a wide range of topics including crop yield estimation, ecosystem services, and land information systems, this book covers interdisciplinary techniques in monitoring and managing natural resources. This publication is ideally designed for urban planners, environmentalists, policymakers, ecologists, researchers, academicians, students, and professionals in the fields of remote sensing, civil engineering, social science, computer science, and information technology.

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, understanding the need for policy makers at the national level to entrain the behavioral and social sciences in addressing the challenges of global climate change, called on the National Research Council to organize two workshops to showcase some of the decision-relevant contributions that these sciences have already made and can advance with future efforts. The workshops focused on two broad areas: (1) mitigation (behavioral elements of a strategy to reduce the net future human influence on climate) and (2) adaptation (behavioral and social determinants of societal capacity to minimize the damage from climate changes that are not avoided). Facilitating Climate Change Responses documents the information presented in the workshop presentations and discussions. This material illustrates some of the ways the behavioral and social sciences can contribute to the new era of climate research.

This book deals with the interaction of various social groups, and the extent to which they may or may not conflict. It focuses on the interface between the various publics related to recreation, including recreationists themselves.

Redefining Diversity and Dynamics of Natural Resources Management in Southeast Asia, Volumes 1-4 brings together scientific research and policy issues across various topographical areas in Asia to provide a comprehensive overview of the issues facing the region. Upland Natural Resources and Social Ecological Systems in Northern Vietnam, Volume 2, provides chapters on natural resource management in northern Vietnam tied together by the concept that participatory local involvement is needed in all aspects of natural resource management. The volume examines planning for climate change, managing forestland, alleviating food shortages, living with biodiversity, and assessing the development projects and policies being implemented. Without the involvement of local communities, households, and ultimately individual people, the needed action will not be effectively taken. Upland Natural Resources and Social Ecological Systems in Northern Vietnam, Volume 2, goes beyond just Northern Vietnam to address the issue of transboundary natural resource management—an issue that Vietnam is dealing with in its relations with northern neighbor, China, and western neighbor, Laos—as well as the transboundary water governance between Pakistan and India in south Asia, with the hope that some of the lessons learned may one day be useful in the case of Vietnam and its neighbors. - Provides a multi-disciplinary case study into a complex environmental situation involving government institutions, planning, and practices, using northern Vietnam as the focus - Covers the issues of natural resource management and biodiversity in depth using international case studies - Provides examples of measuring the potential climate change impacts on food security in agricultural regions - Examines topics such as planning for climate change, managing forestland, alleviating food shortages, living with biodiversity, and assessing development projects and policies

This book is the first significant international attempt to outline and analyze how social assessment has been integrated within natural resource management institutions to date. In doing so, it focuses on contemporary Australian and New Zealand experiences, and relates these back to the international context. Social Assessment in Natural Resource Management Institutionsprovides practical guidance for a wide range of planners, managers and stakeholders striving for better integration of social issues. The lessons derived are equally relevant to national, provincial, regional and local governance structures, international agencies, corporations, and community-based non-government organizations.

The world is undergoing unprecedented changes in many of the factors that determine its fundamental properties and their in- ence on society. These changes include climate; the chemical c- position of the atmosphere; the demands of a growing human population for food and ?ber; and the mobility of organisms, ind- trial products, cultural perspectives, and information ?ows. The magnitude and widespread nature of these changes pose serious challenges in managing the ecosystem services on which society depends. Moreover, many of these changes are strongly in?uenced by human activities, so future patterns of change will continue to be in?uenced by society’s choices and governance. The purpose of this book is to provide a new framework for n- ural resource management—a framework based on stewardship of ecosystems for human well-being in a world dominated by unc- tainty and change. The goal of ecosystem stewardship is to respond to and shape change in social-ecological systems in order to s- tain the supply and opportunities for use of ecosystem services by society. The book links recent advances in the theory of resilience, sustainability, and vulnerability with practical issues of ecosystem management and governance. The book is aimed at advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students of natural resource management as well as professional managers, community leaders, and policy makers with backgrounds in a wide array of d- ciplines, including ecology, policy studies, economics, sociology, and anthropology.