Ecological Harmony


Book Description

How can saving marine mammals mitigate climate change? How to save a coastal dune? How does the historic judgment of the Supreme Court on elephant corridors allow a free walk for the jumbos on their regular migratory path? How should India defuse e-waste—a ticking bomb? Why do we need a Coastal Protection Act? How to save India’s elephants from killer rail tracks? Why do we need a special act for protecting India’s natural pharmacy? How to avert Chennai’s water crisis? Why is there an algal bloom in the Gulf of Mannar and how does it affect livelihood? Why does South India need the Shola forests of the Nilgiris? Ecological Harmony has answers for the above intricate issues as described by the author and published in www.downtoearth.org.in Can a Forest Range Officer play a vital role in improving the biodiversity of a region? Can the Forest Protection Squad function effectively in protecting the forests? How can a DFO persuade the Government of India authorities to allot funds for raising shelterbelt? When vicious power attempted to ruin natural resources, how was it saved from the ruthless hands? How can a Forest Officer contribute towards fostering ecological harmony? Ecological Harmony narrates the adventurous experiences of V. Sundararaju, a former Indian Forest Service Officer, when he served in the Tamil Nadu Forest Department for more than 36 years. Exciting events that took place in the deep woods of the Western Ghats may intrigue the reader while sharing the firsthand experiences of the author. The painstaking efforts of the author in protecting the evergreen forests present a picturesque view of the happenings. The book is dedicated to the noble warriors of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department, who have sacrificed their valuable lives in protecting the forests and wildlife. May the sweet memories you gain while you read Ecological Harmony be ever-lingering in your mind!




Harmony and Balance in the World


Book Description

To create harmony and balance on the planet, we should mirror the planet's own inherent structure of harmonious biodiversity. Through a new paradigm in global cooperation in perceiving biological and cultural diversity, this piece shows how a new chapter and future for humankind can be created that brings harmony and balance to the world both in the environmental and international political sphere. Developing this through the concept of the ‘ecological civilization’ that emphasizes harmony with nature and is emerging as a key theme within the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, a future of peace and stability is painted where the world’s multiple ecological civilizations interact with one another and emerge. In this new world, harmony with nature's inherent structure can serve as the basis and rationalization for a world where biodiversity and cultural diversity is valued, conserved, restored and wisely used.







Redesigning the American Lawn


Book Description

This new edition, which is being reissued in a more artistic format and with many additional illustrations, updates the original text and adds a chapter showing what progress has been made in the ecological management of landscapes over the past decade."--BOOK JACKET.




Ecological Law and the Planetary Crisis


Book Description

This book uses a transdisciplinary systems approach to examine how Earth’s human-caused ecological crisis arose and presents a new legal approach for overcoming it. Ecological Law and the Planetary Crisis first examines how the history of humanity’s social metabolism, along with the history of human inventions and ideas, led to the human-Earth dilemma we see today and explains why contemporary law is inadequate for confronting this dilemma. The book goes on to propose ecological law—law that maintains human activity within ecological limits such as planetary boundaries while ensuring social justice and equity—as an essential element of an urgently needed radical pathway of change toward a perpetual, mutually enhancing human-Earth relationship. Finally, it offers a systems-based analytical tool for organizing actions to promote the transition from environmental to ecological law. Increasing the visibility, clarity and development of ecological law, this book will be of great interest to students and scholars of ecological and environmental law and governance.







Rights to Nature


Book Description

Understanding how rights to resources are assigned and how they are controlled is critical to designing and implementing effective strategies for environmental management and conservation. This book is a nontechnical, interdisciplinary introduction to the systems of rights, rules, and responsibilities that guide and control human use of the environment.




Eco-Phenomenology: Life, Human Life, Post-Human Life in the Harmony of the Cosmos


Book Description

This volume presents discussions on a wide range of topics focused on eco-phenomenology and the interdisciplinary investigation of contemporary environmental thought. Starting out with a Tymieniecka Memorial chapter, the book continues with papers on the foundations, theories, readings and philosophical sources of eco-phenomenology. In addition, it examines issues of phenomenological anthropology, ecological perspectives of the human relationship to nature, and phenomenology of the living body and the virtual body. Furthermore, the volume engages in a dialogue with contemporary behavioral sciences on topics such as eco-alienation, sustainability, and the human relationship to the earth in the context of the cosmos.




The Harmony Debates: Exploring a Practical Philosophy for a Sustainable Future


Book Description

The word Harmony appears in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development no less than three times, yet with no definition. This anthology gathers together an interdisciplinary array of experts, academics and practitioners to explore what Harmony means and how we can use it. One traditional view of Harmony holds that everything in the universe operates in a state of balance, another assumes the interconnectedness of all things - an idea central to ecological thought. Such thoughts also lead to action and policy decisions: for example, how do we conduct business, educate children, conduct business, protect the environment, resolve conflict and promote health and well-being in a world in which all things are fundamentally connected? The chapters in this volume explore Harmony from a range of perspectives, historical and philosophical, academic and personal. Rather than suggesting fixed answers, the goal is to ask questions about how we relate to each other, engage with the wider environment, face the challenges of the modern world, and work towards holistic solutions for today's problems.




From Environmental to Ecological Law


Book Description

This book increases the visibility, clarity and understanding of ecological law. Ecological law is emerging as a field of law founded on systems thinking and the need to integrate ecological limits, such as planetary boundaries, into law. Presenting new thinking in the field, this book focuses on problem areas of contemporary law including environmental law, property law, trusts, legal theory and First Nations law and explains how ecological law provides solutions. Written by ecological law experts, it does this by 1) providing an overview of shortcomings of environmental law and other areas of contemporary law, 2) presenting specific examples of these shortcomings, 3) explaining what ecological law is and how it provides solutions to the shortcomings of contemporary law, and 4) showing how society can overcome some key challenges in the transition to ecological law. Drawing on a diverse range of case study examples including Indigenous law, ecological restoration and mining, this volume will be of great interest to students, scholars and policymakers of environmental and ecological law and governance, political science, environmental ethics and ecological and degrowth economics.