Natural landscapes and environment

Rupicolous environments include rock faces, coastal cliffs, screes, bare and stony soils of proglacial surfaces and also quarries and ore dumps. This book presents the riches of rupicolous environments, explains how they operate as ecosystems in relation with their media, explains their heritage interest as a species repository and innovation laboratory, discusses how to restore them and advocates their integrated and sustainable management.

Fruit of the photosynthesis of plants, the biomass is an essential resource for humans, supplying them with food, energy and materials. With its three sources (forest, crops and waste), the energy-biomass is restricted by the production capacity of soils and its competition with its other uses. Could it therefore contribute to the growing energy needs of humanity and to the energy transition that must take place to reduce our oil and gas consumption substantially?

The work addresses the interactions between landscapes and sustainable development measures in a few French regions. The landscape is studied as a whole at the crossroads of numerous disciplines: social sciences (geography, economics, sociology, development and town planning), living sciences (biology and ecology) and political science (participation, governance modes).

This book traces the history of birds right back to their reptilian origins. It underlines their homogeneity - flight, beak, skeleton and feathers are a bird's reference points - without losing sight of their diversity. Morphological and biological diversity (reproduction especially), but also adaptative. How do they withstand the cold and the predators, how do flightless birds run, how do you fly when you are a vulture? This book explores the intimacy of birds whose habits awaken the curiosity - the Grey Cuckoo, certain species of pigeon or the Hamerkop. It also discusses the relationship between humans and birds.

This guide, illustrated by more than 1,500 underwater photographs, presents nearly 1,200 species of fish in the Indian Ocean and Red Sea. The reference work dedicated to enthusiasts of the undersea world, more especially divers, will also be of interest to a wide audience that is curious about Nature and its riches.

The oceans cover over 70% of our planet. They are host to a biodiversity of tremendous wealth. Its preservation is now a global priority featuring in several international conventions and a confirmed objective of European policies and national strategies. Understanding the dynamics and the uses of the marine biodiversity is a genuine scientific challenge. Fourteen international experts have got together and identified five priority research themes to address the problem, based on analysing the state of knowledge.

This book describes 187 species of wood in Madagascar that are or can be used for joinery, cabinet-making, timber or packaging:distribution map, botanical elements, physical and mechanical properties of the wood, natural durability, behaviour on drying and during processing and use and main uses. Audience: wood sector professionals and anyone seeking to find out more about the natural heritage of Madagascar.

A complete overview of the engineered structures built on dykes known as spillways: presentation of different types of spillway and their function in flood management.

This guide addresses the various types of engineered structures on river dykes, their functional aspects, the hydraulics, the river morphology, the civil engineering and flood management.

The work retraces the origin of botanical gardens and the history of their design from their gradual creation from the 16th century, firstly in Europe and then in other continents.Illustrated by old engravings and colour photos, it shows the changing functions of botanical gardens through the ages. It highlights the originality of all the major European botanical gardens. The book also invokes relatively unknown undertakings like the seed companies and their international trade, plant labelling, herbariums, etc.

How will waste management be organised in the years to come?What are the conflicts between the population and the decision makers? What are the decisive economic factors? What progress has been made in terms of health? The authors of this book answer questions from decision makers on household waste management. They present the historic, sociological, economic and health components that go hand in hand with territorial waste management and the use of technologies in France.