Environmental Issues and Challenges

This book explores the field of environmental studies emphasizing its multidisciplinary nature. It looks at the fundamentals of environmental conservation and the management of sensitive ecosystems. The book provides an overview of the basic concepts used to understand and study diverse ecosystems and their functions as well as the progressively larger yet mutually inclusive units, such as the landscape and the biome. It examines the challenges towards preserving biodiversity which is under severe threat due to climate change, exploitation of natural resources, pollution, and man-made disasters. Besides outlining the causes and effects, the authors outline control mechanisms to keep pollution within safe limits and offer suggestions for resolving issues such as wildlife poaching and trade, water and air pollution, deforestation, and biodiversity loss through policy changes. This book will be of interest to the students, researchers, teachers of environmental studies, environmental science, sociology, political science, and public administration. This book will also be useful to environmentalists, wildlife conservationists, and policy makers.