The Guiana Shield is an ancient geological formation located in the northern part of South America, covering an area of one million square kilometres. Despite its hostile environment, it is home to many unusual and highly specialized plants and animals, which constitute a rich area of biodiversity. Chapters in this book include hydrology, nutrient cycling, forest phenology, insect-plant interactions, forest microclimate, plant distributions, forest dynamics and conservation and management of flora and fauna. It provides a comprehensive and detailed review of the ecology, biology and natural history of the forests of the area.

Lianas (woody vines) are iconic symbols of tropical forests around the world. These plants use the energetically expensive investment of trees in woody stems to gain relatively inexpensive access to the light-rich canopy. The evolution of a climbing habit has occurred in many unrelated plant groups using twining and clasping shoots or specialized structures such as tendrils, hooks, spines, adhesive roots, and internal stem anatomy. Lianas contribute significantly to tropical forest diversity (25-40% of species), carbon sequestration, biomass, plant-animal interactions and forest gap dynamics. Although they are often considered pests in commercial forestry, woody climbers are important to many traditional peoples as medicines, subsistence fibers and non-timber forest products. Largely due to their inaccessibility, lianas and other climbers remain among the most poorly documented lifeforms in the tropics. 0This book aims to facilitate learning and identification of woody climbers of the Guianas (Guyana, French Guiana, and Suriname) for specialists and non-specialists by using an image-rich format, common and scientific names, simplified botanical terminology, and character icon guides, and by describing ecology and uses.

Emerging from the scientific parameters underpinning REDD+ (including the measurement of carbon stocks, reporting and verification), Law, Tropical Forests and Carbon considers the crucial challenges for global and national governance and the legal rights and interests of indigenous people and local communities, all of which have fundamental implications for development and poverty alleviation. With contributions from leading experts in the fields of law, governance, science, development studies and geography, it sheds light on the complexity of REDD+ and offers perspectives on the extent to which REDD+ agreements can be enforced under international law and in concert with new private and public domestic institutions.

The first detailed collation of the evolution, ecology and conservation of some of South America's least-known, and most endangered, primates.

This new third edition of Bradt's Guyana remains the only guidebook available to this South American gem, a jungle-clad country teeming with exotic wildlife. Thoroughly researched, easy to use and interesting to read, Bradt's Guyana is written and updated by writers who have lived in and promoted Guyana for many years and is an ideal companion for all travellers, from wildlife watchers to fishermen, anthropologists to conservationists and 'voluntourists'. Guyana is a destination on the rise, described - justifiably - by the tourist board as 'South America Undiscovered'. This new edition of Bradt's Guyana has been updated to include all the latest developments, ranging from how to see harpy eagles at Warapoka to new culinary experiences, local tour operators, 4x4 self-drive and new hotels. Truly off the beaten track, Guyana is one of the most fascinating and least-known countries in the Americas. It is also the only English-speaking country in South America. The jewel in its crown is the mouth-droppingly beautiful Kaieteur Falls, which is nearly five times the height of Niagara and the world's tallest single-drop waterfall. Culturally Caribbean, its capital Georgetown is a curious melting-pot of quaint Dutch and British colonial architecture, steel drums, boisterous nightlife, rum shops with world-class rum, cricket and tropical sea breezes. It is also the gateway to the lush interior which is full to the brim with fascinating flora and fauna including monkeys, black caiman, harpy eagles, giant anteaters, otters and the mighty jaguar. With Bradt's Guyana, discover all of this, plus where to stay in community lodges and see the rainforest through the eyes of Amerindian guides, where to watch turtles nesting on the beach, how to explore the moody Essequibo river (the largest between the Orinoco and the Amazon), and how to visit the million-acre rainforest reserve of Iwokrama for the ultimate authentic wildlife experience. This third edition of Bradt's Guyana is the key book to plan an expedition into its densely forested lush interior, often accessible only by boat or small aircraft, before taking some 'time to lime' in a hammock in one of its tropical waterfront resorts.

African Ethnobotany in the Americas provides the first comprehensive examination of ethnobotanical knowledge and skills among the African Diaspora in the Americas. Leading scholars on the subject explore the complex relationship between plant use and meaning among the descendants of Africans in the New World. With the aid of archival and field research carried out in North America, South America, and the Caribbean, contributors explore the historical, environmental, and political-ecological factors that facilitated/hindered transatlantic ethnobotanical diffusion; the role of Africans as active agents of plant and plant knowledge transfer during the period of plantation slavery in the Americas; the significance of cultural resistance in refining and redefining plant-based traditions; the principal categories of plant use that resulted; the exchange of knowledge among Amerindian, European and other African peoples; and the changing significance of African-American ethnobotanical traditions in the 21st century. Bolstered by abundant visual content and contributions from renowned experts in the field, African Ethnobotany in the Americas is an invaluable resource for students, scientists, and researchers in the field of ethnobotany and African Diaspora studies.