Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Forest trees of Australia


D.J. Boland and others. 5th edition revised and enlarged by M.W. McDonald and others.

Forest trees of Australia is the essential reference for observing, identifying and obtaining information on native trees. It describes and illustrates 300 of our most important indigenous trees, which have been carefully selected for their environmental significance, their importance to the timber industry, or their prominence in our landscape.

This new and thoroughly revised edition has been fully updated throughout and includes seventy-two treatments of additional species. New maps and photographs show us a wonderfully diverse range of forests, from mangrove swamps, tropical regions and deserts, to alpine areas and majestic stands of temperate forests. A colour section illustrates some of the major forest types of Australia and bark from a diverse range of species.

This is an unsurpassed guide to identification for horticulturists, botanists, foresters, students, farmers, environmentalists and all those who are interested in our native trees.
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Australian soil and land survey field handbook


The National Committee on Soil and Terrain

"This handbook specifies methods, standards and terminology used in soil and land survey investigations related to practical problems of land use and the scientific study of land and soil. It has been widely used and adopted as a standard throughout Australia, providing one reference set of definitions for the characterisation of landform and vegetation and for the description of soils. The book advocates that a comprehensive suite of land and soil attributes be recorded in a uniform manner. This approach is held to be more useful than the allocation of land or soil to preconceived types or classes. Its usefulness is enhanced where computer facilities are available. This revised edition contains significant changes to the Vegetation chapter and revisions to the Location chapter bringing it up-to-date with the use of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and changes to the Substrate chapter relating to the regolith."--Provided by publisher
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Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Climate change : the science, impacts and solutions


by A. Barrie Pittock

Presenting all sides of the arguments about the science and possible remedies [of climate change],Pittock examines the latest analyses of climate change, such as new and alarming observations regarding Arctic sea ice, the recently published IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, and the policies of the new Australian government and how they affect the implementation of climate change initiatives.
New material focuses on massive investments in large-scale renewables, such as the kind being taken up in California, as well as many smaller-scale activities in individual homes and businesses which are being driven by both regulatory and market mechanisms. The book includes extensive endnotes with links to ongoing and updated information,as well as some new illustrations. - book jacket.
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The transition handbook


by Rob Hopkins.

"We live in an oil-dependent world, and have got to this level of dependency in a very short space of time, using vast reserves of oil in the process - without thinking ahead to plan for when the supply is not so plentiful. Most of us avoid thinking about what happens when oil runs out (or becomes prohibitively expensive), but The Transition Handbook shows how the inevitable and profound changes ahead can have a positive outcome. These changes can lead to the rebirth of local communities, which will grow more of their own food, generate their own power, and build their own houses using local materials. They can also encourage the development of local currencies, keeping money in the local area." "There are now over 35 formal Transition Initiatives in the UK, including towns, cities, islands, villages and peninsulas, with over 500 globally at the earlier stages of launching this process. With little proactivity at government level, communities are taking matters into their own hands and acting locally. Within peak oil and climate change is the potential for the greatest economic, social and cultural renaissance we have ever seen. If your community has not yet become a Transition Initiative, this guide offers you the tools to get started."--BOOK JACKET.
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Australian saltmarsh ecology


Edited by Neil Saintilan.

Australian Saltmarsh Ecology presents the first comprehensive review of the ecology and management of Australia saltmarshes. The past 10 years in particular have seen a sustained research effort into this previously poorly understood and neglected resource.
Leading experts in the field outline what is known of the biogeography and geomorphology of Australian saltmarshes, their fish and invertebrate ecology, the use of Australian saltmarshes by birds and insectivorous bats, and the particular challenges of management, including the control of mosquito pests, and the issue of sea-level rise. They provide a powerful argument that coastal saltmarsh is a unique and critical habitat vulnerable to the combined impacts of coastal development and sea-level rise.
The book will be an important reference for saltmarsh researchers, marine and aquatic biologists, natural resource managers, environmentalists and ecologists, as well as undergraduate students and the interested layperson.
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