This book presents perspective on the importance of natural and cultural relationships for conserving bio-cultural landscapes. It explores the approaches and concepts used to conserve bio-cultural landscapes in Malaysia and Indonesia. The book highlights the importance of bio-cultural landscape in sustainable development framework and its link to sustainable development goals are also included. It fills the gap in literature with special focus on this region. The book is of interest to teachers, researchers, climate change scientists, conservationists, capacity builders and policymakers. Also it serves as additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of ecology, and environmental sciences. National and international environmental scientists, policy makers also find this to be a useful read.

This volume examines historical views of stewardship that have sometimes allowed humans to ravage the earth as well as contemporary and futuristic visions of stewardship that will be necessary to achieve pragmatic progress to save life on earth as we know it. The idea of stewardship – human responsibility to tend the Earth – has been central to human cultures throughout history, as evident in the Judeo-Christian Genesis story of the Garden of Eden and in a diverse range of parallel tales from other traditions around the world. Despite such foundational hortatory stories about preserving the earth on which we live, humanity in the Anthropocene is nevertheless currently destroying the planet with breathtaking speed. Much research on stewardship today – in the disciplines of geography, urban studies, oceans research, and green business practice – offers insights that should help address the ecological challenges facing the planet. Simultaneous scholarship in the humanities and other fields reminds us that the damage done to the planet has often been carried out in the name of tending the land. In order to make progress in environmental stewardship, scholars must speak to each other across the disciplinary boundaries, as they do in this volume.

Indonesia is a pluralistic nation, consisting of various ethnic groups throughout the country. Each tribe has its own language to communicate, both among ethnic and inter-ethnic groups. Language has an important role as a means of communication for humans to convey their intentions, and ideas, and express themselves in interactions in society. The Acehnese language is one of the regional languages in Aceh Province, one of the provinces out of 37 provinces in Indonesia. This language is one of the languages with the largest number of speakers in the province. It dominates in the acquisition of the language of the people in Aceh. However, until now, few people know about the fundamentals of the Acehnese language. Structurally, the Acehnese language has many unique features. One of its uniqueness is the phonological aspect or the sound of the language. The Acehnese language has a higher number of phonemes when compared to other regional languages in Aceh, even Indonesian. Another of its uniqueness, for example, is in the aspect of vocabulary and how some word differences are seen in the varieties of Acehnese spoken throughout the province, country, and even those speakers who reside in other countries. There are also many social factors in Acehnese society that affect the meaning of a particular word or phrase in this language. Therefore, we had invited researchers and practitioners to contribute to writing the book ‘The Acehnese Language and Society’, as part of the Universitas Syiah Kuala Press Book Series ‘Language and Linguistics’.

The geotourism industry has grown rapidly in recent years. This book introduces the geotourism industry, its attractions, activities and developments, in selected countries of the Middle East. A number of publications and studies have investigated the nature and scope of the phenomenon of geotourism (tourism which starts from geology) and geotourists worldwide. However, despite the breadth of these studies, few publications have investigated the phenomena in the Middle Eastern countries. Consequently, this book seeks to shed light on the different aspects of geotourism and geo-diversity in the Middle East and provides a number of case studies from this region. It assists in bridging the lacuna in the tourism and geology literature and helps planners, marketers, managers, scholars and researchers to enhance their knowledge about such issues. It outlines opportunities for, as well as barriers to, geotourism development in the Middle East as well as providing recommendations for the advancement of geotourism in the region.

Conservation Policies for Agricultural Biodiversity: A Comparative Study of Laws and Policies focuses on the challenge of securing the ecological future of the planet and its inhabitants by exploring the Convention of Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing and WTO laws, such as SPSS, TBT GATT. This book demonstrates how the urgent problem of biodiversity loss can be addressed by challenging notions of national self-interest and security for the purpose of implementing policies that will benefit humanity and, more importantly, ensure the future of our planet. Delves into the current approaches adopted in the framework of global environmental governance Investigates the origins, operations and effects of legal regimes, policies and practices related to the conservation of biodiversity Presents a comparative study of laws and policies, providing an in-depth understanding of the factors behind the lack of success in conserving agricultural biodiversity

The traditional patterns of land use that have created many of the world's cultural landscapes contribute to biodiversity, support ecological processes, provide important environmental services, and have proven sustainable over the centuries. Protected landscapes can serve as living models of sustainable use of land and resources, and offer important lessons for sustainable development. Examples of these landscapes and the diverse strategies needed to maintain this essential relationship between people and the land are provided.