Biodiversity and Bioeconomy: Status Quo, Challenges, and Opportuniti es comprehensively delivers the latest developments in theories of biodiversity and ecosystem functi oning and their major implicati ons for biodiversity conservati on through diversifying agriculture, forestry, and biomass producti on systems and linking these developments with sustainability of bioeconomy. This book provides basic understanding of biodiversity and bioeconomy, diff erent views of their interrelati onship, and their links with sustainable development goals. It also examines the research and practi ce of biodiversity and ecosystem functi oning in agriculture, forestry, and biomass producti on systems to achieve sustainable bioeconomy.

This book offers an in-depth analysis of and multidisciplinary insights into the latest trends in biodiversity laws, policies and science in Europe, the United States, and China. The loss of biodiversity and degradation of ecosystems continues at an alarming rate, harming people, the economy, and the climate. As biodiversity cannot be meaningfully addressed by any single field, a multidisciplinary approach is needed to attain a better understanding of its complexity and to identify prevention and protection systems. Each chapter addresses a specific aspect of biodiversity. Taken together, they provide an innovative exploration of the various facets of biodiversity from the perspectives of law, the social sciences and natural sciences. As such, the book offers an essential theoretical and practical guide for academics, experts, policymakers, and students alike.

The world of research is so international and interconnected that this deep dive into the state of biodiversity research in the Netherlands inevitably reveals a great deal about the current state of global biodiversity research. The report shows that Europe as a region is contributing 41% of all articles on biodiversity, well above the United States (21%) and China (16%), with strong contributions from Latin America (16%) and Africa (7%). Research in the Netherlands is in the global top three countries for impact, with a Field Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) of 2.40, while Switzerland and Sweden have FWCIs of 2.44 and 2.38, respectively. It’s a useful tool for helping universities understand the contribution they make to society as a whole, and for advocating for further change.

Blue Planet Law is the global and future-oriented environmental law that is necessary to face the global environmental crisis in the Anthropocene, assuming especially the link between climate action (SDG 13) and ocean sustainability (SDG 14). This open access book focuses on means of overcoming global environmental problems such as climate change, ocean degradation and biodiversity loss and the consequent risks for human life, health, food and wellbeing. It explores how environmental law, at the international, European and national levels, might set economic and technological development on a more sustainable path. Law must engage in dialogue with other areas such as philosophy, economics, ecology, and biology.

This book brings together chapters related to sustainable utilization of biological resources, including in situ and ex situ conservation of rare, endangered, and threatened plants. The title also gives a special emphasis on marine sponges and mangrove ecosystems, which are two important untapped potential resources of the marine ecosystem and play a key role in maintaining the marine ecosystem. There is an urgent need for the conservation, exploration and utilization of bioresources for the growth and survival of human beings. Due to the significant reduction in biological resources, many countries are developing strategic action plans for the conservation and sustainable use of biological resources.

Encyclopedia of Biodiversity, Third Edition, Seven Volume Set provides a coherent, synthetic and comprehensive overview of the field, bringing together contributions from over 400 expert academics and practitioners. The book brings together the dimensions of biodiversity and examines the services it provides and measures to protect it. Major themes include the evolution of biodiversity, systems for classifying and defining biodiversity, ecological patterns and theories of biodiversity, and an assessment of contemporary patterns and trends in biodiversity. The entire work is reviewed and updated, including new chapters on topics which have come to the forefront since the publication of the previous edition. The science of biodiversity has become the science of our future. It is an interdisciplinary field spanning areas of both physical and life sciences. Our awareness of the loss of biodiversity has brought a long overdue appreciation of the magnitude of this loss and a determination to develop the tools to protect our future.

This book examines how the EU can be a more proactive actor in the promotion of the principles of sustainability and fairness from a legal environmental perspective. The book is one of the results of the research activity of the Jean Monnet Chair in EU Environmental Law (2017-2020) funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ programme. The European Union and Global Environmental Protection: Transforming Influence into Action begins with an introduction of the key EU competences, instruments and mechanisms, as well as the current international challenges at the EU level. It then explores case study examples from four regulated fields: climate change, biodiversity, multilateral trade, unregulated fishing, and access to justice; and four unregulated areas: mainstreaming of the Sustainable Development Goals in EU policies, and environmental justice, highlighting the extent to which the EU might align with international environmental regimes or extend its normative power.

This edited open access volume explores the role of forest bioeconomy  in addressing climate change. The authors put a particular focus on planetary boundaries and how the linear, growth-oriented economy, is coupled with climate change and environmental degradation. Biobased products and sustainable production paths have been developed, but how can they be scaled in order to lead to an economic paradigm shift? This and other questions are discussed throughout the volume. Since science indicates that climate change will continue this century, the authors also analyse how forests can be adapted to increasing forest disturbances that changing climate are expected to cause.

This book contains a set of papers which explore the subject matter of human and planetary health at various angles The year 2015 was a special year in the field of human and planetary health. In that year, the report, produced by the Rockefeller Foundation and the journal The Lancet, called "Safeguarding human health in the Anthropocene epoch: report of The Rockefeller Foundation-Lancet Commission  on planetary health" was launched. Also in 2015, the World Health Organization and the Secretariat of the Convention on  Biological Diversity published the report "Connecting global priorities: biodiversity and human health:  a state of knowledge review" with over 100 contributors, meant to guide future joint actions. Both documents comprehensively address the need for a better understanding of the connections between human health and ecosystems and the risks associated with damages to the integrity of the planet. The period in which humanity finds itself right now, the Anthropocene, is a risk one since mankind is putting the planet under considerable pressure. These elements have led to the emergence of a new field of research, namely planetary health.

The book addresses the gaps in the body of knowledge from two grounds. Firstly, it adds value through explaining the dynamics of natural resource governance by focusing on the particular arenas of biodiversity resources, water resources and climate change in developing country context. Secondly, it critically scrutinizes the market-centric perspectives on one hand and combines political economy questions that are generally overlooked in discussions of current resource governance framework, on the other. It develops a new framework to examine the reasons behind the degradations of natural resources to offer sustainable solutions to the problems. It shows that the natural resources have been exploited beyond sustainable limits due to the structural rigidities, embedded in, and reproduced by, fragile institutions and unequal power-sharing arrangements under the market-centric economic system.

Urban greening policies and measures have recently shown a high potential impact on the design and reshaping of the built environment, especially in urban regeneration processes. This book provides insights on analytical methods, planning strategies and shared governance tools for successfully integrating Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) in the urban planning practice. The selected contributions present real-life application cases, in which the mainstreaming of NBS are investigated according to two main challenges: the planning and designing of physical and spatial integration of NBS in cities on one side, and the implementation of suitable shared governance models and co-creation pathways on the other.

This volume considers current and future challenges for nature law and policy in Europe. Following the Fitness Check evaluation of the Birds and Habitats Directives, in 2017 the EU adopted an Action Plan for nature, people and the economy to rapidly improve the Directives' implementation and accelerate progress towards the EU's biodiversity targets for 2020. More recently, the EU has adopted a Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and proposed an EU Nature Restoration Law. This book makes a timely contribution by examining the current state of play in light of recent and historical developments, as well as the post-2020 nature law and policy landscape. While evidence suggests that Natura 2000 and the Habitats and Birds Directives have delivered conservation benefits for wildlife in Europe, biodiversity loss continues apace. The book reviews the requirements for an effective international nature conservation system, with reference to the Birds and Habitats Directives. It examines regulatory regimes, current legal issues in the fields of site protection and species protection, the protection of areas outside Natura 2000, recent developments in the EU and the UK, including the implications of Brexit, agriculture and nature conservation, litigation, science and access to justice.

This Open Access book on Ocean Governance examines sustainability challenges facing our oceans today. The book is organized into three sections: knowledge systems, policy foundations and thematic analyses. The knowledge produced in the book was catalyzed by the scientific outcomes within the European-funded Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) network "Ocean Governance for Sustainability - Challenges, Options and the Role of Science". This network brings together scientists, policy-makers and civil society representatives from 28 nation states to cooperate on ocean governance research. This book offers a compilation of new research material including focused case studies, broad policy syntheses and reflective chapters on the history and current status of knowledge production systems on ocean governance. New research material is presented, although some chapters draw on secondary sources.