Wildlife Issues and Crisis in a Changing World

ABOUT THE BOOK: Seeing wildlife was common in India two decades ago when the author studied Hanuman langurs in the Masanagudi jungle at Mudumalai wildlife sanctuary. During a recent visit, the author saw a bustling town ravaged by thousands of cattle that scavenged the forest floor replacing the langur habitat. Destruction of natural forest is not limited to India. When the author surveyed wildlife on the other side of the globe-in Trinidad and Tobago in 1990, he saw agriculture farms in the midst of a major wildlife sanctuary. Even in the remote wilderness of Liberia's only protected reserve in 1980s, he saw chainsaws chopping rainforest trees. From the Malay Peninsula to the islands of Java, Sumatra and Borneo, he had seen more palm plantations than rainforests. As a result, one of man's closest relatives and Asia's only great ape, the orangutan is nearing extinction. The conflict between human progress and wildlife survival is not likely to end any time soon. In this book, the author based on his 25 years of wildlife research in Africa, South America and Asia, introduces the pressing global wildlife conservation crisis into 20/20 focus. This monograph highlights a variety of wildlife, biodiversity and environmental issues facing developing nations globally. It emphasizes how field research could contribute to nature conservation. Therefore this book should serve as an introductory, supplementary and reference text for wildlife, biodiversity, environmental conservation, and sustainable development courses in colleges, universities and other institutes of higher learning around the globe.

AUTHOR: Govindasamy Agoramoorthy | ISBN: 9788170356110 | YEAR: 2009 | PAGES: 386 | SIZE: 14 X 22 X 2.5 cms. | BINDING: Hard | LANGUAGE: English

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Govindasamy Agoramoorthy has taught, lectured, and conducted research in various universities and research institutions around the world. His research interest ranges from field primatology to natural history and from environmental protection to sustainable development. He has carried out natural history field studies in Asia, Africa, and South America over the last 25 years. He was the first scientist to carry out research on forest primates and white* breasted guinea fowls in the rainforest of Liberia, West Africa on behalf of the World Wide Fund for Nature. Between 1989 and 1995, he served as Visiting Scientist at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. He is currently Professor of Biological and Environmental Sciences at Tajen University, Taiwan. He is the consulting editor for the Journal of Environmental Biology, and serves on the editorial board of the Journal for Nature Conservation and the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science. He serves in the advisory board of several international conservation organizations. He has been the Chairman of Ethics and Welfare, South East Asian Zoos Association since 1998 and he continues to improve animal welfare standards in Asia. He has published over 250 research papers in international journals. He currently serves as Tata Visiting Chair to review natural resource management projects in India. Agoramoorthy is a renowned field biologist, professor and theorist in the fields of nature, wildlife, biodiversity, environment, and animal/human rights.

CONTENTS:
Preface
1. Chasing a Wild Dream-Jungle Adventure Memoirs
2. Biodiversity Surveys are Crucial for India
3. India's Ignored Bats Need Conservation Attention and Action
4. Status of India's Rarest Salim Ali's Fruit Bat
5. Threat of Human-Induced Climate Change
6. Primates of the Thar Desert of Western India
7. Social Life of Bonnet Macaques in South India
8. On the Tiger Tourism in Ranthambore
9. Protecting India's Rarest Giant Squirrels in Sanctuaries and Occurrence of Rare Birds and Otters in Villages
10. Toxic Waste Dumping in India by Developed Countries Affect Nature
11. Conserving India's Rare Plants: Can it be Done?
12. India's Rural Monuments in the Wilderness Need Urgent Protection
13. Animals aren't Pariahs
14. Conservation of Forest Primates in Sapo National Park, Liberia, West Africa
15. Rescue, Rehabilitation and Release of Chimpanzees in Liberia, West Africa
16. Conservation Status of Black-and-Gold Howler Monkeys along Rio Riachuelo, Argentina
17. Feeding Associations Between Red Howlers and White-Tail Deer in the Rainforest of Venezuela
18. Inter-Group Infant Adoption Among Wild Red Howler Monkeys of Venezuela
19. Mate Choice in Red Howler Monkeys: At What Cost?
20. Conservation of Red Howlers and Capuchins in Trinidad, West Indies
21. Shaky Future of Wildlife in Trinidad: Can they Survive?
22. Human Disturbance Reduces Fauna Diversity in Tropical Caves
23. Wildlife Conservation in Taiwan: Problems and Prospects
24. Ritual Release of Wildlife Threatens Island Ecology
25. Heavy Metal Pollution Threatens Terrestrial Biota in Island Ecosystem
26. Primate Polythelia Puzzle
27. Population Status of Long-tailed Macaques in Singapore
28. Conserving a Shy Creature: The Malayan Flying Lemurs in Singapore
29. Community-Based Wildlife Tourism in Indonesia:
30. Can it Work?
31. Proboscis Monkeys Face Extinction in Borneo's Mangrove Forests
32. Foraging Ecology of Borneo's Proboscis Monkeys
33. Rescue, Rehabilitation and Reintroduction of Orangutans in Borneo's Rainforest
34. Biogas Plants Ease Ecological Stress in India's Wilderness
35. From Biohazard to Bioresource: A Global Initiative
36. Can India Meet the Increasing Food Demand by 2020?
37. Forgotten People of the Chambal Valley Wilderness
38. The Small Dam Route to Salvage the Cauvery Conflict
39. Small Size, BIG POTENTIAL: Check Dams for Sustainable Development
Appendix I
Professor Agoramoorthy's Selected Research
Publications From 1989 to 2008
Index