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BOOKS INDEX PAGE
Conservation Geography
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Case Studies in GIS, Computer Mapping, and Activism
In nature, location means everything. Ecology consists of
many factors -- species, soils, water resources, history --
interacting across a landscape to create rich and varied patterns among
natural communities and processes. The most powerful tool for conservation
is one that allows the integration of knowledge from taxonomy, hydrology,
demography, economics, and other fields into a single analytical
framework.
That framework is geography; the tool is geographic
information systems, or GIS.
Conservation Geography: Case Studies in GIS, Computer
Mapping, and Activism tells of the ways GIS is revolutionizing the
work of nonprofit organizations and conservation groups worldwide as they
rush to save the earth's plants, animals, and cultural and natural
resources. Their endeavors, as described in these pages, portray
conservation in its broadest sense, including efforts for environmental
justice, land preservation, indigenous rights, and species preservation.
Their work encircles the globe, from New York City to Kenya to Borneo to
Puget Sound. Their efforts touch living creatures of every size and
description, from ocean-traversing sea turtles to elephants lumbering
across the African plain. Their labor helps bring legal challenges to
corporate polluters, and full access to environmental information for any
citizen who needs it.
As these pages show clearly, the power of computers and
GIS is transforming the way environmental problems and conservation issues
are identified, measured, and ultimately, resolved.
About the editor:
About the editor: Charles L. Convis, Jr., is
ESRI's Conservation Program coordinator, and a founder and former director
of the Society for Conservation GIS. He received degrees in biology and
natural history from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and he has
edited many conservation journals, including Conservation Geography
and Native Geography.
Cover photography courtesy of Scott T. Smith. Copyright ©
2001 Scott T. Smith.
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