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In recent years, tropical forests have received more attention and have been the subject of greater environmental concern than any other kind of vegetation. There is an increasing public awareness of the importance of these forests, not only as a diminishing source of countless products used by mankind, nor for their effects on soil stabilization and climate, but as unrivalled sources of what today we call biodiversity. Threats to the continued existence of the forests represent threats to tens of thousands of species of organisms, both plants and animals. It is all the more surprising, therefore, that there have been no major scientific accounts published in recent years since the classic h...
Although the only publication with a realistic claim to the title "The plant diver sity of Malesia" is Flora Malesiana itself, we have hesitatingly chosen this title for the present proceedings volume. Past, present and future work on the Flora Malesiana project was the subject of a successful symposium held in August 1989. This book contains only a selection of the papers presented at that meet ing, yet it covers a much greater diversity of themes than just the inventory of botanical diversity. It even goes beyond the boundaries of the vast Flora Malesi ana region in several of its chapters. The role of the founder of the Flora Malesiana Project, Professor C.G.G.J. van Steenis, repeatedly r...
The mountain flora of Java constitutes a unique natural heritage of Indonesia and indeed of the whole world. The most informative and most beautifully illustrated book ever written on this rich resource is doubtlessly The Mountain Flora of Java written by the late renowned Dutch biologist C.G.G.J. van Steenis, with unsurpassed paint drawings of 456 flowering plant species by Amir Hamzah and Moehamad Toha. The first edition from 1972 was sold out fairly soon. Brill is therefore proud to publish this edition of this seminal work at this point in time. Although written over 40 years ago Van Steenis’ approach to the study of botany can still serve as an example and inspiration for young botanists, conservationists and policy makers.
Of the vast area of structurally similar vegetation that forms the Far Eastern tropical rain forest block, only the forests of peninsular Malaysia lie on the mainland of Asia. Although showing some influence from this source, the flora and fauna are distinctive and exceedingly rich in species. Among other factors, this richness reflects the complex structure of the vegetation, justly famous for the extensive stands of tall trees that create the conditions to which many smaller plants, fungi and a huge variety of animals are adapted. After a century of scientific investigation, it is now possible to understand peninsular Malaysia's complex ecosystem as an essential prerequisite to the successful management for conservation and long-term productivity in the area. Compiled by authors with personal experience of the region, this book constitutes the most authoritative account of this diverse and fragile region. It is essential reading for all those interested in Malaysia and its conservation.
My application to join the secret service was tongue-in-cheek. I was in no desperate need of another job, but the opportunity arose and I thought it would be interesting to test my skills against this world of deceit. Roger Conway is a daring liar who has invented a new identity for himself and bluffed his way into M16. He carries out an audacious mission for the ‘Disciples’, a secret cell of Oxbridge and Ivy League academics who are the masterminds behind the security services. Roger’s adventures in Cuba, during a new Cuban Missile Crisis, save the US from imminent rocket attacks, but frustrate the Disciple’s political plot against the president. Aided by his assistant, Herbert Yarham, Roger emerges as the top Anglo-US spy, a brilliant deceiver in a world of deceit.
For most of us the word "desert" conjures up images of barren wasteland, vast, dry stretches inimical to life. But for a great array of creatures, perhaps even more plentiful than those who inhabit tropical rainforests, the desert is a haven and a home. Travel with Michael Mares into the deserts of Argentina, Iran, Egypt, and the American Southwest and you will encounter a rich and memorable variety of these small, tenacious animals, many of them first discovered by Mares in areas never before studied. Accompanying Mares on his forays into these hostile habitats, we observe the remarkable behavioral, physiological, and ecological adaptations that have allowed such little-known species of rod...
Locations of Knowledge in Dutch Contexts brings together scholars who shed light on the ways locations gave shape to scientific knowledge practices in the Dutch Republic and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. This interdisciplinary volume uses four hundred years of Dutch history as a laboratory to investigate spatialized understandings of the history of knowledge. By conceptualizing locations of knowing as time-specific configurations of actors, artefacts, and activities, contributors to this volume not only examine cities as specific kind of locations, but also analyze the regionally and globally networked and transformative character of locations. Many of the locations which are studied in this volume are still visible until the present day. Contributors are Azadeh Achbari, Fokko Jan Dijksterhuis, Alette Fleischer, Floor Haalboom, Marijn Hollestelle, Dirk van Miert, Ilja Nieuwland, Abel Streefland, Andreas Weber, Martin Weiss, Gerhard Wiesenfeldt, and Huib Zuidervaart.