Humans as Components of Ecosystems

This book highlights the importance to ecological studies of incorporating humans and their effects on ecosystems. In Humans as Components of Ecosystems, leading experts from a variety of disciplines address a number of important issues, including: - the prominent role of humans in the function of ecosystems on Earth; - why humans have been ignored in ecological studies; - approaches taken by social scientists, historians, geographers, economists and anthropologists in the study of human activities; - the emergence of a new ecological paradigm accommodating human activities; - methods for studying subtle human effects, and human-populated ecosystems; - future research and training required to include humans effectively as components of ecological systems. This book will be of interest to students and researchers in ecology, and to policy makers and environmental managers. In addition, it will inform a range of social scientists about new opportunities for integrating their ideas with those of ecologists.