Natural Resources: Ecology, Economics, And Policy

Coupling the latest concepts and technology with proven traditional approaches, this new edition introduces readers to the science of natural resource management by integrating ecology, history, planning, economics, and policy into coverage of each natural resource. This text sets the stage for coverage of specific natural resources, giving readers a chance to review important concepts and to start thinking in a new integrated way about natural resource management in a more complex real-world context. Some features of the new .edition include:

• Detailed history of natural resource management in the United States
• Helps readers understand that today's environmental problems did not just happen "naturally," but rather came about as the result of a complex mix of events, many well intentioned at the time
• Computers, scientific breakthroughs, and natural resource management and planning
• Shows readers how computers are used in natural resource management and how scientific breakthroughs will affect the environment and quality of life in the 21st century
• A full chapter dedicated to natural resources and international development
• Exposes readers to the importance of natural resources in developing countries, and the issue of how political policies affect economic growth and environmental quality.
• A basic discussion of economic principles and systems
• Introduces readers to the advantages and disadvantages of market, socialistic, and mixed economies in terms of human welfare, technological advance, and impacts on environmental quality

Unlike other natural resource management volumes that focus solely on the "ecological" aspects of resources--and with an overly "pessimistic" view of the future--this volume explores natural resource management "in context" in a functional, applied framework by integrating ecology, history, planning, economics, and policy into coverage of "each" natural resource, and by providing a balanced, guarded optimistic view of the most current research and technology's capability to overcome natural resource problems. Exceptionally straightforward and readable, it is easily accessible to readers with limited background in ecology, biology, and economics. The volume provides an overview of natural resources, and a complete analysis of management foundations, air, water, and land resources, the land-based renewable resources, the wild living resources, the mineral and energy resources, plus an integration of natural resources management. For foresters, wildlife biologists, geologists, range managers, and environmental scientists.