Capitalizing on forty years of intensive ecological studies, this anthology presents a collection of widely dispersed major publications on theoretical and practical Mediterranean, global environmental and landscape issues. These range from Mediterranean ecosystems and vegetation types in California and Israel, to the significance of fire in the evolution of cultural Mediterranean landscapes in the Pleistocene and Early Holocene with special reference to Mt. Carmel; and from the development of Tanzania Masailand, a sociological and ecological challenge to multifunctional, self-organizing biosphere landscapes and the future of our Total Human Ecosystem.

Each chapter features a comprehensive study of ecological and landscape issues, synthesized in the introduction, and woven with autobiographical experiences. The concluding chapter calls for a transdisciplinary shift in all environmental scientific fields and particularly in landscape and restoration ecology, to cope with the complex, closely interwoven ecological, socio-economical, political and cultural crises facing human society during the present crucial transition from the industrial to the post-industrial, global information age.

Updating and broadening the scope of the groundbreaking Springer book on Landscape Theory and Applications by the author and Lieberman (1994), this is a unique transdisciplinary attempt based on advanced systems complexity theories, which link the natural and human sciences. It will be of value for all those dealing with land and landscape study in the broadest sense as academic scientists, researchers and scholars, professionals and practitioners and students.

Inhalt

Mediterranean Issues.- Mediterranean Ecosystems and Vegetation Types in California and Israel Ecology 48: 445-459..- Structural and Floristic Diversity of Shrub-lands and Woodlands in Northern Israel and Other Mediterranean Areas Vegetation 4: 171-190.- Fire in the Mediterranean - A Landscape Ecological Perspective In: Goldammer, J.F., Jenkins M.J. (Eds.) Fire in Ecosystems Dynamics. Proceedings of the Third International Symposium in Freiburg, FRG, May 1989. SPB Academic Publishing by, the Hague, the Netherlands, pp. 1-20.- From Biodiversity to Ecodiversity: A Landscape-Ecology Approach to Conservation and Restoration. Restoration Ecology 2: 180-189.- Conservation, Restoration, and Research Priorities for Mediterranean Uplands Threatened by Global Climate Change. In: Moreno J, Oechel WE (Eds.) Global Change and Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems Ecological Studies Vol. 117. Springer, New York, pp. 482-508.- From Biodiversity to Ecodiversity - Holistic Conservation of the Biological and Cultural Diversity of Mediterranean Landscapes. In: Rundel P., Montenegro G., Jaksic F.M. (Eds.) Landscape Disturbance and Biodiversity in Mediterranean - Type Ecosystems. Ecological Studies Vol. 136 Springer, Berlin pp. 23-50.- The Role of Fire in the Evolution of the Mediterranean Cultural Landscape in the Pleistocene and Early Holocene with special reference to Mt. Carmel. (Based on: The Evolution of the Cultural Landscape in Israel as Affected by Fire, Grazing, and Human Activities. Z. Naveh and Y. Carmel. in: Wasser S. P. (Ed.) Papers in Honour of Eviatar Nevo. Evolutionary Theory and Processes: Modern Horizons. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht pp. 337-409).- Global Issues.- The Development of Tanzania Masailand. A Sociological and Ecological Challenge. AfricanSoils: 499-518.- The Role of Landscape Ecology in Development Environmental Conservation 5: 57-63.- Culture and Landscape Conservation: A Landscape-Ecological Perspective. In: Gopal B.P., Pathak P., Sayena K.G. (Eds.) Ecology Today: An Anthology of Contemporary Ecological Research International Scientific Publications, New Delhi, pp. 19-48.- Ecological and Cultural Landscape Restoration and the Cultural Evolution towards a Post-Industrial Symbiosis between Human Society and Nature. Restoration Energy 6: 135-143.- Ten Major Premises for a Holistic Conception of Multifunctional Landscapes Landscape and Urban Planning 57: 269-284.- Multifunctional, Self-Organizing Biosphere Landscapes and the Future of Our Total Human Ecosystem. World Futures 60: 469-503.- Recapitulation.- The Transformation of Landscape Ecology and Restoration Ecology into Transdisciplinary Sciences of Holistic Landscape Study, Management and Planning, Conservation and Restoration.