The Conservation of Plant Biodiversity

Anthony H D Brown author Otto Herzberg Frankel author Jeremy James Burdon author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Cambridge University Press

Published:21st Sep '95

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

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The Conservation of Plant Biodiversity cover

Discusses the various options for conserving plants at the level of the gene, species and community.

Is it better to conserve plant biodiversity as seeds in a gene bank, as specimen plants in a botanic garden, or as part of a community? This book investigates the issues that face plant conservationists, who need increasingly to explore both current needs and those of the longer term.The Conservation of Plant Biodiversity highlights the different levels of biological organisation at which conservation is being addressed - the gene, the species and the community. Conservation biology is faced with several controversial issues such as the dichotomy between the preservation of individual species versus a broader focus on the environment, the relative importance to give to endangered species, the design and management of reserves and the drive for increasing agricultural productivity through plant improvement versus the drive to maintain traditional peasant varieties in cultivation. These and other issues are dealt with here by emphasising and exploring the underlying scientific principles. The conservation of whole communities emerges as the paramount strategy for maintaining the evolutionary potential of plant life.

'A number of useful issues are discussed, notably the in - situ/ex- situ debate which is rapidly coming to the fore.' TEG News

ISBN: 9780521467315

Dimensions: 228mm x 152mm x 18mm

Weight: 531g

316 pages