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Eurasian Steppes. Ecological Problems and Livelihoods in a Changing World

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  • © 2012

Overview

  • There is no other book in which so much expert knowledge on change in steppe ecology, changes in steppe land use, and changes in the livelihoods of steppe inhabitants have been integrated
  • Covers the entire Eurasian steppe zone and integrates much knowledge on steppes that so far was available only in Russian, Chinese, Mongolian, and other local languages

Part of the book series: Plant and Vegetation (PAVE, volume 6)

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Table of contents (21 chapters)

  1. Steppe Regions

  2. STEPPE REGIONS

  3. Degradation

  4. DEGRADATION

  5. Climate Change

  6. CLIMATE CHANGE

Keywords

About this book

Steppes form one of the largest biomes. Drastic changes in steppe ecology, land use and livelihoods came with the emergence, and again with the collapse, of communist states. Excessive ploughing and vast influx of people into the steppe zone led to a strong decline in nomadic pastoralism in the Soviet Union and China and in severely degraded steppe ecosystems. In Mongolia nomadic pastoralism persisted, but steppes degraded because of strongly increased livestock loads. After the Soviet collapse steppes regenerated on huge tracts of fallow land. Presently, new, restorative steppe land management schemes are applied. On top of all these changes come strong effects of climate change in the northern part of the steppe zone. This book gives an up-to-date overview of changes in ecology, climate and use of the entire Eurasian steppe area and their effects on livelihoods of steppe people. It integrates knowledge that so far was available only in a spectrum of locally used languages.

Reviews

“This is a well compiled, readable book with a wealth of information. … Having brought all these researchers from the numerous countries together in one volume, this can certainly be a major step towards a more consistent and integrated approach in the future. The presentation is very pleasant, with many coloured photos and maps, well-structured tables and diagrams.” (Jürgen Dengler, Bulletin of the European Dry Grassland Group, Issue 21, December, 2013)

“Part of the Springer Plant and Vegetation series, this volume covers one of the largest biomes in the world. … the book is part of a series on vegetation, and certainly the field botanist or environmental scientist concerned with these steppe eco-systems or interested in their conservation will find a wealth of rich material. … The bibliography thus represents an important and useful resource for regional studies on this biome.” (Sarah Robinson, Pastoralism, Vol. 3, 2013)

Editors and Affiliations

  • , Ecology & Biodiversity, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands

    Marinus J.A. Werger, Marja A. van Staalduinen

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