Protected marine species have populations that are depleted, decreasing, or are at-risk of extinction or local extirpation. As of 2015 The International Union for the Conservation of Nature, a global environmental organization, lists approximately 737 marine species worldwide that are considered at risk of extinction. Many are provided legal protection through national laws requiring research and management measures aimed at recovering and maintaining the species at a sustainable population level. Integral to the policy decision process involving the management and recovery of marine species is the consideration of trade-offs between the economic and ecological costs and benefits of protection. This suggests that economics, at its core the study of trade-offs, has a significant role. In the U.S. a somewhat traditional use of economics in protected species research and management has involved cost minimization or cost-effectiveness analyses to help select or prioritize conservation actions. Economic research has also provided estimates of public non-market benefits of recovering species, which can be used in larger management frameworks such as ecosystem based management and coastal and marine spatial planning. Inherent in much of this research, however, are complex biological and ecological relationships in which varying degrees of scientific uncertainty are present. Addressing this type of uncertainty can affect the economic outcomes related to protected species. For example, recent work suggests that increasing scientific precision in biological sampling and models can greatly affect the magnitude of economic benefits to commercial fisheries, while other research suggests that public non-market benefits of species recovery are sensitive to uncertainty about baseline population estimates. Previous research has illustrated the importance of understanding the biological, ecological, and economic aspects of protected species management and recovery. In this research topic we synthesize current protected marine species economic research and expand the discussion on present and future challenges related to protected species economics. The series of manuscripts brings together an array of prominent researchers and advances our understanding of the ecological and economic aspects of managing and recovering protected marine species.

This concisely written and easy-to-read resource provides information on emerging issues and valuable historical context that enables students to better understand a broad range of environmental health topics, from pollution to infectious diseases, natural disasters, and waste management. As technology enables better insight into the world we live in, we are increasingly aware of environmental health concerns and risks, from contaminated air and water to infectious diseases and light and noise pollution. Because the quality of our lives depends on the quality of our environment, everyone should be informed about issues in environmental health. Environmental Health in the 21st Century: From Air Pollution to Zoonotic Diseases presents hundreds of encyclopedic entries written by expert researchers and practitioners, a history of environmental health, and interviews with subject experts that broadly survey the field of environmental health. The set covers myriad subjects in environmental health, including all types of environmental pollution; the spread of communicable diseases and other issues in the health sciences; waste management practices; the effects of climate change on human health; children's environmental health concerns; environmental health problems unique to the urban environment; and emerging threats such as the Zika virus and hospital-acquired infections. Readers will learn about steps they can take to reduce their environmental risk, understand the effects of key international treaties and conventions and the contributions of key figures in environmental health, and also reflect on potential solutions for global challenges in environmental pollution, health sciences, energy and climate, waste management, and the built environment. No other book on the market today addresses the environmental health field in such a comprehensive manner, with the latest information provided by expert practitioners, all packed into two concise volumes.