Landslide Ecology

Description

Despite their often dangerous and unpredictable nature, landslides provide fascinating templates for studying how soil organisms, plants and animals respond to such destruction. The emerging field of landslide ecology helps us understand these responses, aiding slope stabilisation and restoration and contributing to the progress made in geological approaches to landslide prediction and mitigation. Summarising the growing body of literature on the ecological consequences of landslides, this book provides a framework for the promotion of ecological tools in predicting, stabilising, and restoring biodiversity to landslide scars at both local and landscape scales. It explores nutrient cycling; soil development; and how soil organisms disperse, colonise and interact in what is often an inhospitable environment. Recognising the role that these processes play in providing solutions to the problem of unstable slopes, the authors present ecological approaches as useful, economical and resilient supplements to landslide management.

Lawrence R. Walker is a Professor of Plant Ecology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. His research focuses on the mechanisms that drive plant succession, particularly primary succession on volcanoes, landslides, glacial moraines, floodplains, dunes, mine tailings and abandoned roads. His landslide research has involved field work in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and New Zealand. Aaron B. Shiels is a postdoctoral research associate with the USDA National Wildlife Research Center in Hilo, Hawaii. His research is focused on understanding the local and large-scale impacts of disturbance and invasive species on plant communities and ecosystems. He has worked on landslides in China, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

'A useful book that has a place in all ecological libraries.' Peter Thomas, British Ecological Society Bulletin '... the first published work that provides a systematic combination of geological and ecological approaches to assessing the relevance of landsliding to environmental management. The coverage is virtually worldwide. Diagrams, maps, and photographs are numerous, excellent, and highly relevant. The book is well documented with an impressive 43-page bibliography ... Highly recommended.' J. D. Ives, Choice 'The book is suitable reference material for researchers, university students, land managers and related policy needs. It is readable and well-illustrated ... The book contains an appropriate mix of knowledge on landslide ecology and its application and provides a solid background for those interested in landscape dynamics.' New Zealand Ecological Society Newsletter 'Ably summarizing the growing body of literature on the ecological consequences of landslides, this book provides a useful framework for the promotion of ecological tools in predicting, stabilizing and restoring biodiversity to landslide scars at both local and landscape scales. Recognizing the role that these processes play in providing more holistic solutions to the problem of unstable slopes, the authors present ecological approaches as useful, economical and resilient supplements to landslide management. The book will therefore find readers not only amongst researchers and students, but also amongst land managers and rehabilitation specialists.' David Gillieson, Austral Ecology