The state of our planet continues to deteriorate at an alarming rate. We have arrived at a situation where we need to determine urgent solutions before we reach a point of irreversible deterioration. Much has been written in different contexts about reaching sustainability but the concept itself needs to be defined in the framework of all different disciplines in order to arrive at optimal solutions. Hence this book is essentially trans-disciplinary in order to find appropriate sustainable solutions, involving, collaboration across a wide range of disciplines. Publishing papers from the First International Conference on Management of Natural Resources, Sustainable Development and Ecological Hazards, the book features articles encompassing topic areas such as: Water Resources; Air; Soil; Ecology; Health Risk; Energy; Planning and Development; Political and Social Issues; The Re-Encounter; New Technologies; Learning from Nature; Safety.

This book contains papers presented at the fourth in a series of trans-disciplinary conferences on Management of Natural Resources, Sustainable Development, and Ecological Hazards, first held in 2006. Papers presented at the conference suggest solutions to move our planet to a more sustainable modus operandi, and avoid the oft-projected "point of no return." The papers are based on economic, social, political, and environmental sciences and examine risk, lessons learned from nature, and new technologies. They present planning and development solutions that may address air, water, energy, soil, and/or ecology.

This book ontains papers presented at the Second International Conference on the Management of Natural Resources, Sustainable Development and Ecological Hazards, held in South Africa, December 15-17, 2009. The Conference goes by the shortened name Ravage of the Planet to emphasize the urgency of the problems under discussion. Like the first conference held in Patagonia, Argentina, this meeting was prompted by the need to take stock of the continuous deterioration of our planet and to formulate constructive policies for the immediate future. The success of the first Conference led to the decision to reconvene the meeting in Africa. That continents engagement in global change trends became more pronounced with the World Summit on Sustainable Development that took place in Johannesburg in 2002 and addressed Millenium Development Goals. South Africa actually held its first National Conference on Environment and Development in 1991. It is well known that in the effort to achieve sustainable development, Africa faces challenges with water and energy supply, sanitation access; renewable technologies transfer, food security, health issues (especially childrens health), rapid urbanization, housing, biodiversity threats, and climate change vulnerability. Because of its geographic position, spanning two hemispheres and nearly all climatic zones, as well as its still low carbon emissions, pristine ecosystems and endemic biodiversity regions, Africa provides excellent opportunities for environmental research and earth and space observations, as well as studies of the socio-economic aspects of sustainability sciences. AUDIENCE: Researchers and professionals involved in ecosystems and environmental problems, as well as policy makers, social and political scientists

This book contains the proceedings of the third in a now-biennial series organized by the Wessex Institute of Technology around the urgent need to determine solutions regarding sustainable development before our planet reaches a point of irreversibility. The aggressive search for new sources of energy and materials, the rapid rate at which natural resources are being consumed, and the destructiveness of the resulting pollution are all having a negative impact on the planet that needs to be stopped, if not reversed. As at the first two, participants at this conference will take stock of our situation and try to facilitate constructive principles and policies for a way forward, something that can only be done by transdisciplinary cooperation. Thus papers will examine ethical, political and social issues, health, safety and risk, lessons from nature, planning and development, and new technologies.

This book includes contributions from scientists and representatives from government and non-governmental organisations working in the field of land management and use and on management of fires. The book is truly interdisciplinary and has both a research and application-oriented dimension. The list of topics includes sustainability and water management; sustainability and biodiversity conservation; the future sustainability of nature-based industries such as agriculture, mining, tourism, fisheries and forestry; sustainability, people and livelihoods; sustainability and landscapes planning; sustainability and land use planning; handling and managing forest fires. The papers are innovative and cross-cutting, and many have practice-based experiences. Also, this book, prepared by the Inter-University Sustainable Development Research Programme (IUSDRP) and the World Sustainable Development Research and Transfer Centre (WSD-RTC), reiterates the need to promote a sustainable use of land resources today.

This book examines the relationship between natural resource management, sustainable development, and governance with case studies from India and other places covering disaster risk reduction, conflict resolution, capacity building, climate change adaptation and resilience, citizen engagement and ecological conservation. Though the studies focus mostly on cases in India, the volume discusses how governance can be employed to help develop and implement sustainable practices globally through the lens of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework. Readers will learn how to integrate concepts of resource management, sustainable development, and governance to improve human resilience to global environmental change, and to assess the proper development approaches to assist economically stressed and resource-deprived individuals. The book will be of use to graduate students and academics, policy makers, planners, and nonprofits.