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Informationen zum Autor Arthur J. ConacherUniversity of Western Australia, Australia and Maria Sala University of Barcelona, Spain Klappentext The book is an integrated geographical assessment of land degradation in the world's Mediterranean regions. Part I, written by specialist contributors, comprises a brief geography of the Mediterranean-climate regions - the Mediterranean basin, California, central Chile, the Southwest Cape and southern Australia - to provide a context for Parts II and III. Material written by the regional contributors has been compiled into an integrated set of thematic chapters for these major sections. Part II discusses the nature, extent, history, causes and implications of land degradation in the regions. Major problems include soil, vegetation and water degradation, fire, drought, flooding and sedimentation. Historical and contemporary human responses to these problems are also considered and indeed at times become part of the problem. Solutions - actual and potential -are evaluated in Part III, and include those dealing with animals, cultivation, horticulture, engineering-type practices, agro-forestry, whole farm planning, integrated catchment management and regional planning. Throughout there is an emphasis on the distinctive nature of the Mediterranean-type environments - especially the seasonally hot, dry climates, the species-rich and highly inflammable vegetation, steep topography and coastal orientations - and the ways in which these environments interact with human populations with their contrasting histories and cultures to result in a special set of environmental problems and responses. Zusammenfassung Written by specialist and regional contributors! this invaluable book provides an integrated! up--to--date! geographical assessment of land degradation in the worlda s Mediterranean regions. Inhaltsverzeichnis THE NATURE OF THE WORLD'S MEDITERRANEAN-TYPE ENVIRONMENTS Iberian Peninsul and Balearic Islands The South of France and Corsica Italy The Croatian Adriatic Coast Greece The Eastern Mediterranean North Africa Greater California Chile The Southwestern Cape of South Africa Southern Australia PROBLEMS OF LAND DEGRADATION Introduction The Main Problems of Land Degradation: Their Nature, Extent andSeverity: 1. Erosion and Soil Deterioration, Flooding, VegetationLoss and Degradation The Main Problems of Land Degradation: Their Nature, Extent andSeverity: 2. Drought, Water Shortages, and Water Quality, and otherForms of Degradation The Historical Development of Land Degradation in the MediterraneanWorld The Causes of Land Degradation 1. The Nature of the BiophysicalEnvironment The Causes of Land Degradation 2. Vegetation Clearing andAgricultural Practices The Causes of Land Degradation 3. Other Human Actions Some Broader Implications of Land Degradation SOLUTIONS TO LAND DEGRADATION Introduction Solutions dealing with Animals, Cultivation and HorticulturalPractices Technical Solutions Vegetation-Related Solutions Economic, Social, Agency and Policy Solutions. 1. The MediterraneanBasin Economic, Social, Agency and Policy Solutions 2. The NewWorld Summary and Conclusions...
