Conservation Biology: Foundations, Concepts, Applications

Drawing on his experience as a conservation biologist, college teacher, and successful textbook author, Van Dyke's organizational clarity and readable style make Conservation Biology: Foundations, Concepts, Applications an invaluable resource for students in conservation around the globe.

Presenting key information and well-selected examples, this student-friendly volume carefully integrates the science of conservation biology with its implications for ethics, law, policy and economics. In addition to rigorous examination of the scientific theory supporting conservation biology and its applications, this unique book includes a number of features which set it apart from others. These include its chapters on aquatic conservation, landscape ecology, and ecosystem management, and its direct explanation and invitation to students on how to enter the work of conservation as a professional and personal vocation.

1 The History and Distinctions of Conservation Biology
2 The Legal Foundations of Conservation Biology
3 Values and Ethics in Conservation
4 Biodiversity: Concept, Measurement, and Challenge
5 The Historic and Foundational Paradigms of Conservation Biology
6 The Conservation of Genetic Diversity
7 The Conservation of Populations
8 The Conservation of Habitat and Landscape
9 The Conservation of Aquatic Systems
10 Ecosystem Management
11 Restoration Ecology
12 Conservation, Economics, and Sustainable Development
13 Professional Effectiveness and Future Directions in Conservation Biology

From the reviews of the second edition:

"This book [...] give a unified approach to an interdisciplinary subject, discussing the historical, ethical, economical, and ecological basis of conservation biology. [...] The overall mission of the textbook to provide undergraduates with a stimulating and accessible text is executed with great success. [...] it finds a wide readership and is present in libraries of colleges and research institutes."
-  Mark Young, British Ecological Society, Vol. 39 (4), 2008

Fred Van Dyke is a professor of biology at Wheaton College (Illinois). He has previously served on the faculties of Northwestern College (Iowa) and the Au Sable Institute for Environmental Studies, as a wildlife biologist for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, as a scientific and professional consultant to the U. S. National Park Service, the U. S. Forest Service, the Pew Charitable Trust, and to various private environmental and conservation consultants. He is the author of numerous publications on animal home range and habitat use, management and conservation of animal populations, management of successional processes to conserve habitat, and conservation values and ethics.