Avian Diversity In Relation To Logging In The Coastal Rainforests Of British Columbia

Regional intercomparisons between ecosystems on different continents can be a powerful tool to better understand the ways in which ecosystems respond to global change. Large areas are often needed to characterize the causal mechanisms governing interactions between ecozones and their environments. Factors such as weather and climate patterns, land-ocean and land-atmosphere interactions all play important roles. As a result of the strong physical north-south symmetry between the western coasts of North and South America, the similarities in climate, coastal oceanography and physiography between these two regions have been extensively documented. High Latitude Rain Forests and Associated Ecosystems of the West Coast of the Americas presents current research on West Coast forest and river ecology, and compares ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest with those of South America.

The vast temperate rainforests of coastal British Columbia are world renowned, but much less is known about the other rainforest located 500 kilometres inland along the western slopes of the interior mountains. The unique integration of continentality and humidity in this region favours the development of lush rainforest communities that incorporate both coastal and boreal elements. In British Columbia's Inland Rainforest, scientists bring together, for the first time, a broad spectrum of information about this distinctive ecosystem. They also consider the ecological consequences of human activities in the rainforest and present strategies for its management and conservation.

For more than three decades, the fate of British Columbia’s old-growth forests has been a major source of political strife. While more than 5 million hectares of wood were being clearcut, the BC wilderness movement and forest industry supporters clashed, as they continue to do, both pressing their arguments in a variety of forums, ranging from television studios and logging road blockades to royal commission hearings and cabinet ministers’ offices. The resulting record of conflict confirms American historian Paul Hirt’s characterization of forest policy as "party an ideological issue, partly biological, partly economic, partly technical, and wholly political." Talk and Log is a comprehensive account of the rise and impact of the BC wilderness movement between 1965 and 1996. Jeremy Wilson examines the evolution of the movement’s approaches, evaluates the forest industry’s counterstrategies, and analyzes the patterns and trends underlying shifts in provincial government forest, environment, and parks policies. He describes the "war in the woods" triggered by environmentalists’ efforts to preserve areas such as South Moresby and the Carmanah Valley, and considers the complex forces that pushed the government to expand the protected areas system. Wilson’s perceptive analysis of Social Credit’s failed policies of the 1980s is followed by an assessment of the Harcourt NDP government’s reform iniatives, including the Commission on Resources and Environment (CORE) and the Forest Practices Code. Talk and Log is based on a variety of sources, including government documents, environmental group briefs, and interviews with several dozen politicians, government officials, environmentalists, and forest industry leaders. This book deftly illuminates the forces behind controversies that have divided British Columbians and drawn the attention of people around the world. It is also a thought-provoking examination of issues likely to dominate political debates in BC for decades to come.

With sixty descriptive maps and accompanying text, The Biodiversity Atlas of British Columbia provides a broad overview of the province?s range of terrestrial and freshwater biological diversity. Bringing together data from numerous sources summarized in map form, the Atlas provides a window to B.C.?s diverse ecosystems, the species that live in them, and the elements of British Columbia?s biodiversity that make it globally significant. The Atlas also presents a visual perspective of a number of human-induced threats, including climate change, affecting biodiversity in B.C. today. The Atlas is designed to serve as a companion document to Taking Nature?s Pulse: The Status of Biodiversity in British Columbia ? a comprehensive scientific assessment of biodiversity in the province. Both the Atlas and Taking Nature?s Pulse are projects of Biodiversity BC, a partnership of conservation groups and government agencies.

While tropical rainforests have received much conservation attention and support for their protection, temperate and boreal rainforests have been largely overlooked. Yet these ecosystems are also unique, supporting rainforest communities rich in plants and wildlife and containing some of the most massive trees on Earth. Temperate and Boreal Rainforests of the World brings together leading scientists from around the world to describe the ecology and conservation of these lesser-known rainforests in an attempt to place them on par with tropical rainforests in conservation efforts. The book summarizes major scientific findings presents new computer models that were used to standardize rainforest definitions identifies regions previously not widely recognized as rainforest provides the latest estimates on rainforest extent and degree of protection explores conservation strategies The book ends with a summary of the key ecological findings and outlines an ambitious vision of how we can conserve and manage the planet's remaining temperate and boreal rainforests in a truly ecological way that is better for nature, the climate, and ultimately our own welfare. Temperate and Boreal Rainforests of the World is a call to action for an accord to protect the world's rainforests. It offers a global vision rooted in ecological science but written in common language useful for governments, decision makers, and conservation groups concerned about the plight of these remarkable forests.