Publications

Ecosystem Management in Central & Eastern Europe

 

Authors: Jim Perry, Jindrich Tichy, Juan Bosco Imbert, Karen Sudmeir-Rieux, Martin Dovciak, Martin Malovesky and Árpád Baranyi

Edited by: Elizabeth Vanderklein

An interdisciplinary team of European and U.S. scientists has recently released a new textbook entitled, Ecosystem Management in Central and Eastern Europe . The text introduces CEE university students and environmental professionals to the concept of ecosystem management. Far more than just another foreign management scheme, ecosystem management stems from an integrated, decentralized and participatory philosophy that enables each community to arrive at its own unique environmental management strategies. Ecosystem management has not only brought about a paradigm shift in natural resource management in the United States, but it offers unlimited potential for effective management in Central and Eastern Europe. According to co-author Arpad Baranyi, consultant for COWI Engineers and Planners AS, Budapest, Hungary, "We felt that the concept of ecosystem management provided a flexible and holistic framework for solving the complex and unique management issues we face in our respective countries."

Co-author Dr. James Perry, (HT Morse Distinguished University Professor and Head of the Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology Department at the University of Minnesota, USA) says"Our idea was to take the theory and practice of ecosystem management as it currently is practiced in the United States, incorporate the tradition of CEE landscape ecology and apply the lessons learned to CEE management." To meet that goal, the book is structured in six chapters.The early chapters set the stage for understanding the CEE situation. Chapter 1, for example, reviews the biophysical, socioeconomic and environmental challenges in several CEE countries. Chapters 2, 3, and 4 trace the dramatic developments in ecological theory that led to the ecosystem concept, the social history that led to adoption of ecosystem management and finally, the principles of ecosystem management approach, per se. These sections are complemented by reprints of important papers in the ecosystem management field, along with summaries outlining key sections of those papers. Chapters 5 and 6 present case studies that explore the application of ecosystem management in CEE.

Contents:

Preface: Ecosystem Management in Central and Eastern Europe: Decision-taking for the Future.

Table of Contents. List of Figures and Tables.

Chapter 1: Introduction.

Chapter 2: The Ecosystem as a Concept. Contrasting views of the same ecosystem. History of the ecosystem concept. Structure and function of ecosystems. Hierarchy and scale in ecosystems. Ecosystem under stress in Central and Eastern Europe, an example from the former Czechoslovakia. Summary. Reprint (Rapport et al. 1994, "Ecosystem behavior under stress" The American Naturalist).

Chapter 3: From Resource Management to Ecosystem Management" Environmental Management in the U.S. and Central and Eastern Europe. Introduction. Environmental Management in the U.S. Environmental Management in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Conclusions and challenges for the future. Main concepts. Comprehension questions.

Chapter 4: Ecosystem Management and its Principles. Introduction. Comprehension questions. Reprint (Grumbine 1994, "What is ecosystem management" Conservation Biology). Reprint (Salwasser, 1994, "Ecosystem management: Can it sustain diversity and productivity?" Journal of Forestry). Reprint (Gerlach and Bengston, 1994, "if ecosystem management is the answer, what is the questions? Journal of Forestry). Principles of ecosystem management. Sustainability. Scales and boundaries; defining the area of management interest. Reprint (Pearce and Turner, 1990, "Economics of Natural resources and the environment London: Harvester Wheatsheaf, Simon and Schuster International Group). Multiple or fuzzy boundaries of real landscape. Readings in scales and boundary determination. Comprehension questions. REprint (Fox, 1992), "The problem of scale in community resource management" Environmental Management). Adaptive management and conflict resolution: flexibility and cooperation. Measuring ecological indicators at different scales. Comprehension questions. Interagency cooperation and conflict management. Public participation in decision-making for ecosystem management. Reprint (Van der Zweip, 1994, "Public participation as an instrument for environmental protection" Budapest: The regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe. Conclusions.

Chapter 5: Case Studies. Introduction. Highway construction between Germany and the Czech Republic. Partnerships as a response to ecosystem management: case study of the Eastern Upper Peninsula Partners in Ecosystem Management Group (EUPPEM). Chapter 6: Conclusions. References. Glossary. Author Bios.

The book was printed thanks to donated funds and has been priced to make it affordable to students in CEE countries; the authors are seeking a local or U.S. distributor to fund shipping to CEE. For more information, please contact Dr. James Perry at jperry@umn.edu .

2001 with 293 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables, 10 textboxes, 9 reprints, paperbound.
ISBN 0-9715756-0-6
Band Printing, Brainerd, MN, USA.

 

TEXT BOOKS

Ecosystem Management in Central and Eastern Europe

Water Quality: Management of a Natural Resource

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

Ecology and Management of Southeastern Minnesota Landscapes

Ecology and Management of the St. Croix River

Effects and Management of Exotic Species

Effective Environmental Monitoring

Experimental Acidification of Little Rock Lake

Integrated International Research

Monticello Experimental Stream Ecosystems

Synthetic Papers and Books

Water Resource Management and Planning