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.
List of Figures viii
List of Tables x
Preface xii
Acknowledgments xiv
1 Scope and relevance of environmental studies 1
2 Ecosystems and their structure and functions 22
3 Environmental pollution 92
4 Threats to and conservation of biological diversity 157
5 Renewable and non-renewable resources 198
6 Environmental policies, practices, and legislation 227
7 Global environmental issues 262
8 Human communities and the environment 290
Index 316
Biography
Abhik Gupta is former Professor of Ecology and Environmental Science, and Pro Vice-Chancellor of Assam University, Silchar, India. He has an experience of over 35 years of teaching biology and environmental science in both undergraduate and post-graduate courses and has supervised over 25 doctoral theses. His research interests include biodiversity studies, environmental pollution, policy, and ethics. His recent publications include Heavy Metal and Metalloid Contamination of Surface and Underground Water (2020) and Ethics and Biodiversity (2021).
Susmita Gupta is former Professor of Ecology and Environmental Science in Assam University, India, and has a teaching and research experience of about 20 years. Her research area of interest is freshwater ecology and biomonitoring.
