Issues and Perspectives in Landscape Ecology

This book addresses a wide array of past, current, and future issues in landscape ecology to provide an overview of the varied viewpoints and perspectives that make landscape ecology a focused as well as a frustratingly diverse discipline. Essays by leading landscape ecologists span multiple spectrums, addressing scientific theory as well as applied practice, conservation as well as utilization, and aquatic as well as terrestrial systems.

Through a series of personal essays, this book addresses a wide array of past, current, and future issues in landscape ecology. The essays have been contributed by leading landscape ecologists from North America, Europe, and Australia, and provide an overview of the rich tapestry of viewpoints and perspectives that make landscape ecology at once a well-defined and yet also a frustratingly diverse discipline. The contributions span a range of topics and approaches, addressing theory as well as practice, science as well as application, conservation as well as utilization, and aquatic as well as terrestrial systems. The volume therefore provides informative and entertaining reading for beginning and advanced students, landscape managers, conservationists, and teachers.

Preface; Part I. Introductory Perspectives: 1. When is a landscape perspective important? L. Fahrig; 2. Incorporating geographical (biophysical) principles in studies of landscape systems J. Solon; Part II. Theory, Experiments, and Models in Landscape Ecology: 3. Theory in landscape ecology R. V. O'Neill; 4. Hierarchy theory and the landscape ... level? Or, words do matter A. W. King; 5. Equilibrium versus non-equilibrium landscapes H. H. Shugart; 6. Disturbances and landscapes: the little things count J. A. Ludwig; 7. Scale and an organism-centric focus for studying interspecific interactions in landscapes R. MacNally; 8. The role of experiments in landscape ecology R. A. Ims; 9. Spatial modeling in landscape ecology J. Verboom and W. Wamelink; 10. the promise of landscape modeling: successes, failures, and evolution D. J. Mladenoff; Part III. Landscape Patterns: 11. Landscape pattern: context and processes R. Haines-Young; 12. The gradient concept of landscape structure K. McGarigal and S. A. Cushman; 13. Perspectives on the use of land-cover data for ecological investigations T. R. Lovelend, A. L. Gallant and J. E. Vogelmann; Part IV. Landscape Dynamics on Multiple Scales: 14. Landscape sensitivity and timescales of landscape change M. F. Thomas; 15. The time dimension in landscape ecology: cultural soils and spatial pattern in early landscapes D. A. Davidson and I. A. Simpson; 16. The legacy of landscape history: the role of paleoecological analysis H. R. Delcourt and P. A. Delcourt; 17. Landscape ecology and global change R. P. Neilson; Part V. Applications of Landscape Ecology: 18. Landscape ecology as the broker between information supply and management application, with special reference to ecological land classification for water management F. Klijn; 19. Farmlands and farming for nature K. Freemark; 20. Landscape ecology and forest management T. Crow; 21. Landscape ecology and wildlife management J. Rolstad; 22 Restoration ecology and landscape ecology R. J. Hobbs; 23. Conservation planning at the landscape scale C. Margules; 24. Landscape conservation: a new paradigm for the conservation of biodiversity K. A. With; 25. The 'why' and 'so what' of riverine landscapes H. Décamps; Part VI. Cultural Perspectives and Landscape Planning: 26. The nature of lowland rivers: a search for river identity B. Pedroli: 27. Using cultural knowledge to make new landscape patterns J. Iverson Nassauer; 28. The critical divide: landscape policy and its implementation N. Pollock-Ellwand; 29. Landscape ecology: principles of cognition and the political-economic dimension J. Ot'ahel'; 30. Integration of landscape ecology and landscape architecture: an evolutionary and reciprocal process J. Ahern; 31. Landscape ecology in land-use planning R. Jongman; Part VII. Retrospect and Prospect: 32. The land unit as a black box: a Pandora's Box? I. S. Zonneveld; 33. Towards a transdisciplinary landscape science Z. Naveh; 34. Toward fostering recognition of landscape ecology M. R. Moss; 35. Toward a unified landscape ecology J. A. Wiens; Index.

Through a series of personal essays by leading landscape ecologists, this book addresses a wide array of past, current, and future issues in landscape ecology. The essays are informative and entertaining and span multiple spectrums, addressing theory and practice, science and application, conservation and utilization, and aquatic and terrestrial systems.

John Wiens is Lead Scientist at The Nature Conservancy, Vancouver, USA.
Michael Moss is Professor of Geography in the Faculty of Environmental Sciences at the University of Guelph, Canada.