Guide to Wetlands (Paperback)

by Dr Patrick Dugan (Editor) "Most of us are familiar with wetlands in some shape or form..." (more)
Key Phrases: red lechwe, peat swamp forest, sarus crane, United States, Wadden Sea, Ramsar Convention (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
An armchair world tour of the world's wetlands. (Suzie Heap California Garden 200603)

An atlas of wetlands across the world... great resource for addressing the ecological role, diversity, and human use of wetlands. (Janet R. Mihuc Science Books and Films 200603)

A wealth of information on the major wetlands of the world... emphasis on their ecological roles, human impact, and conservation. (C. Leck Choice 200604)

Product Description
A comprehensive and fascinating guide to the wetlands of the world that covers important wetland wildlife in detail, with a special focus on birds.

The ecology of marshes, estuaries, floodplains, lagoons, swamps and bogs supports an exceptionally rich diversity of species. Many wetlands around the world are now open to the public as nature reserves that generate millions of visitors including birdwatchers and amateur ecologists.

Guide to Wetlands covers the many aspects of the study of wetlands in a single, portable volume. Using spectacular color photographs and clear explanatory illustrations alongside the author's concise text, it discusses: - What are wetlands - Wetland diversity - How wetlands work - The need for wetlands - Adapting to life in wetlands - Plant adaptation - Animal adaptation - People and wetlands - Loss of wetlands - Rural development and agriculture - Wetland conservation - Wetland wildlife.

The book includes a wetland atlas with maps identifying wetland environments around the world and describing topography and important features. Birdwatchers will find this book of particular interest.

Guide to Wetlands is an essential reference on a crucial aspect of the global environment that will appeal to naturalists, birdwatchers, ecologists and travelers.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Firefly Books (October 20, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1554071119
• ISBN-13: 978-1554071111
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #208,314 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #9 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Ecosystems > Wetlands
  #23 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Ecology > Lakes & Ponds
  #28 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Conservation > Water

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "GUIDE TO WETLANDS" , January 7, 2008

By	A. Mahboubi (Cupertino, California United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I salute Dr. Patrick Dugan who generously put together an enormous amount of encyclopedic information in his recent book, "GUIDE TO WETLANDS."

Among a tremendously comprehensive awareness about our universal ecological systems, "GUIDE TO WETLANDS" specifically highlights the importance of "The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands," as Dr. Dugan emphasizes the importance of this monumental achievement that brought about together the agreements of a small number of internationally concerned participants, in 1971, who produced a set of guidelines that's developed into a major force of wetland conservation throughout the world--a historically global achievement, per se, and of particular in the life of a small city named Ramsar, in north of Iran!

I know Ramsar well (now called with the original name: Sakhtsar). I was born only a half-hour drive west of this beautiful city, with serene surroundings and natural beauties, in the midst of the southern shore of Caspian Sea. Ramsar (Sakhtsar) is flanked by the most lush and fertile strip of a low-land-region that's squeezed between the south shore of Caspian Sea and the northern face of the mountain range Alborz: with natural forests, hot springs, tea plantations, citrus groves, olive orchards and abundant rice paddies (capable of feeding 200-million population), along wetlands that're accurately noted by Dr. Dugan! Also, I've worked and managed a major ground-up development project, not so far away on the east of Ramsar/(Sakhtsar).

Nonetheless, despite of all the related academic background and several decades of hands-on participations on design boards and construction trenches, internationally, I've sadly witnessed the gradual demise of our only Planet Earth's natural resources and ecological systems under the guise of growth and economic development!

Hence, for those who care to reverse these suicidal trends through the acts of preservation, conservation, mitigation, or self-education concerning our global environments, I highly recommend starting with Dr. Patrick Dugan's "GUIDE TO WETLANDS." It's delightfully written and extremely enlightening--far beyond just a vacation guidebook!

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Inaccuracy found, January 2, 2007

By	F. Penalosa (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

On p. 268 Dugan refers to "Alakai Swamp on Maui." It is on Kauai. I have been there a dozen times. I am wondering about the accuracy of the rest of the book. Fernando Peñalosa, Rancho Palos Verdes, California.