Peter A. Furley – författare

Savannas form one of the largest and most important of the world's ecological zones. Covering one fifth of the Earth's land surface, they are home to some of the world's most iconic animals and form an extremely important global resource for plants and wildlife. However, increasing recognition of their land potential means that they are extremely vulnerable to accelerating pressures on usable land. This Very Short Introduction considers savannas as landscapes. Discussing their origin, topography, and global distribution, Peter A. Furley explores the dynamic nature of savannas and illustrates how they have shaped human evolution and movements. He goes on to discuss the unrelenting pressures that confront conservation and management and considers the future for savannas.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

This text aims to provide a comprehensive up-date of research on forest-savanna boundaries. Key features of the book include case studies of vegetation structure and dynamics; a discussion of the nature of the boundary as examined from remote sensing and from models of the forest edge; studies of animal ecology at the boundary with examples of both vertebrate and invertebrate examples; treatment of the influence of physical and chemical environmental factors; treatment of palaeo-environmental changes and vegetation history; and examples from all the major geographical areas of savanna-forest transition.

Originally published in 1994, this book analysed land developments, deforestation and pasture substitution, colonisation schemes and spontaneous settlement during the latter part of the 20th Century. In so doing, The Forest Frontier presents an overview of the intrinsic environmental and socio-economic resources of the Roraima, the most northerly of the Brazilian Amazon states. Roraima is of special environmental interest because of its extensive savannas and varied forests – the home of some of the largest and most diverse groups of indigenous Indians. This critical assessment of the nature and pace of agricultural advance into Roraima examines the range of strategies which have been proposed to cope with the inevitable development. With the conflict between preserving the natural environment and development still major issues for Brazil, this book remains as relevant now as when it was first published.