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Contents:

1 - Integrating ecology and management; 2 - Interactions; 3 - Community structure; 4 - Succession; 5 - Closing the gap between science and management.

Review:

Here's the paradox. As ecology is developing so its becoming more specialised and more fragmented. At the same time the need for sophisticated ecological analysis is becoming more acute but there is less chance of this work finding its way to managers because it's so specialist etc.! What is needed is integration of the two, preferably at an early stage - which is where this book comes in.

The authors argue that applied ecology and practical management should be explicitly linked rather than ,as at the moment, the links being assumed. The advantage here is that by taking each as a discrete discipline it's possible to explore each other's concepts more effectively which should strengthen the hybrid study. We start with an exploration of the ways in which ecology and management can be integrated. Although they re-state their case that the two disciplines are too often separated they take it further by suggesting that it is not just subject that is apart but that the practical approaches are often insufficiently understood: n ecological experiment might be carried out without regard to its implications for management whilst a management plan might not be based on ecological principles. To help, the remainder of the chapter is given over to some basic ecological principles such as hypothesis testing. Chapter two looks at interactions between species and populations and the ways in which ecologists test for and study these interactions: models, experiments and field studies. Problems of inference and replication are also noted. Chapter thre examines the notion of community structure. From a basic outline of community, the reader is taken through ideas on data collection and sampling (including abundance indices) as well as community structure (using ordination and cluster analysis techniques). The fourth chapter focusses on succession starting with a brief review of the way in which this concept has been viewed. From there we are shown some of the techniques used to study succession form theoretical and practical perspectives. Since the initial aim of the book was to bring managment and ecology closer together it is fitting that the final chapter should review some of the moves to date.

This is an interesting text both for what it says and for what it omits. The basic notion of sound management based on ecological principles should be accepted by now but clearly there is some way to go as this book demonstrates. That the question is phrased this way and not the other way round (i.e. ecology based on sound management precepts) is not tackled but it does raise some interesting questions! The range of ecological concepts used is fundamental but limited suggesting that there would be a need for a more advanced version of this text moving those interested to a more detailed level. As it stands it is an interesting introduction.