Nigel Dunstone - Böcker

Many mammals, such as otters, live in close association with rivers and streams, feeding in them, or using them as a place of safety or means of escape from predators. The distinct adaptations that riparian mammals have evolved in order to live in these environments also handicap them for living elsewhere. They are therefore threatened by alterations to their environment. In recent years our rivers have become highly polluted, and with bankside modifications for agriculture and forestry, enhanced or decreased water flow, and use for recreation, they become less and less suitable for these highly specialized animals. This 1998 book looks at the habitat utilization, adaptation, feeding ecology and conservation status of a range of riparian mammals, and will give insights into the problems facing these fascinating animals, and how they might be overcome.

Many mammals, such as otters, live in close association with rivers and streams, feeding in them, or using them as a place of safety or means of escape from predators. The distinct adaptations that riparian mammals have evolved in order to live in these environments also handicap them for living elsewhere. They are therefore threatened by alterations to their environment. In recent years our rivers have become highly polluted, and with bankside modifications for agriculture and forestry, enhanced or decreased water flow, and use for recreation, they become less and less suitable for these highly specialized animals. This 1998 book looks at the habitat utilization, adaptation, feeding ecology and conservation status of a range of riparian mammals, and will give insights into the problems facing these fascinating animals, and how they might be overcome.

Recent analyses have shown that about a quarter of all mammal species are threatened with extinction. At the same time, the conservation movement is moving rapidly away from a traditional 'protectionist' approach to nature to a more integrated view of wildlife and landscape conservation. This volume provides the first review of modern conservation approaches as they relate to mammals. Bringing together both researchers and conservationists, it presents perspectives on issues including the role of mammals within the conservation movement, how priorities should be set and funds allocated within mammalian conservation and which techniques and approaches are likely to be most successful in conserving mammals in future. Beyond the focus on mammals, issues of broader conservation relevance are highlighted, including the integration of species- and biodiversity-approaches to conservation, the role of 'flagship species' and the need to develop holistic conservation models that relate to the broader context of society and government.