Principles of Conservation Biology

Principles of Conservation Biology, Third Edition, features a wholly revised organization, emphasizing analyses of different categories of threat and approaches to conservation. Coverage has been expanded to incorporate both terrestrial and marine conservation issues, and efforts in the U.S. and across the globe.

The book's eighteen chapters introduce the major themes and concepts of this diverse and dynamic field. The biological and social underpinnings of conservation problems and potential solutions are interwoven throughout the text, which is divided into three sections: foundations of the field, threats to biodiversity, and approaches to solving conservation problems. Guest essays and case studies provide a diversity of perspectives and real-world examples that add insight and provoke discussion. The text is richly illustrated, and concludes with an extensive glossary and bibliography.

This book is intended for use in conservation biology courses at the advanced undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as by researchers and practitioners, and assumes a basic background in biology and ecology.

Companion Website

The Principles of Conservation Biology, Third Edition, companion website contains a variety of study materials and supplemental resources to accompany the textbook. Study questions, suggested readings, and Web links for each chapter help the student to master the material presented in the textbook and provide direction for further study. In addition, essays, case studies and boxes expand on the book's coverage of selected topics.

Instructor's Resource CD

Available to qualified adopters, the third edition Instructor's Resource CD contains all of the illustrations and tables from the textbook, for use in lecture presentations and other course documents. All figures are provided as JPEG files and are also included in ready-to-use PowerPoint presentations. In addition, the IRCD includes a set of suggested exercises for instructors to use with their classes.

Martha J. Groom is an Associate Professor in the Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences program at the University of Washington, Bothell and the Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle. She teaches conservation biology, ecology, landscape planning and topical courses on science, policy, and society. She has won several teaching awards. Her research focuses on the influences of fragmentation and landscape context on species persistence.

Gary K. Meffe is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida. He is senior author of Ecosystem Management: Adaptive, Community-Based Conservation, coauthor of Conserving Biodiversity on Military Lands: A Handbook for Natural Resources Managers, and coeditor of Ecology and Evolution of Livebearing Fishes. Since 1997 he has served as Editor of the international journal Conservation Biology.

C. Ronald Carroll is the former Director of the Institute of Ecology at the University of Georgia and currently the Director for Science in the River Basin Science and Policy Center at the University of Georgia. He is the series editor for the newly initiated Southern Environment Series of the UGA Press. He teaches conservation ecology and conducts research on invasive species in the southeastern United States. He is also engaged in a large conservation and sustainable development project in Ecuador known as the Chocó-Andean Corridor Project. The project is located in northwestern Ecuador and embraces two globally significant hotspots of biological diversity, the Chocó and the Western Andean slopes.

Unit 1: Conceptual Foundations for Conservation Biology

1. What Is Conservation Biology?
2. Global Biodiversity
3. Threats to Biodiversity
4. Conservation Values and Ethics
5. Ecological Economics and Nature Conservation

Unit 2: Focus on Primary Threats to Biodiversity

6. Habitat Degradation and Loss
7. Habitat Fragmentation
8. Overexploitation
9. Species Invasions
10. Biological Impacts of Climate Change
11. Conservation Genetics

Unit 3: Approaches to Solving Conservation Problems

12. Species and Landscape Approaches to Conservation
13. Ecosystem Approaches to Conservation
14. Protected Areas
15. Restoration of Damaged Ecosystems and Endangered Populations
16. Sustainable Development
17. The Integration of Conservation Science and Policy
18. Meeting Conservation Challenges in the Twenty-First Century