Overview

Old Fields brings together leading experts from around the world to synthesise past and current work on old fields, providing an up-to-date perspective on the ecological dynamics of abandoned land. The book gives readers a broad understanding of why agricultural land is abandoned, the factors that determine the ecological recovery of old fields, and how this understanding contributes to theoretical and applied ecology.

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9781597260756

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Reviews

Agriculturally transformed land is being abandoned as economics and lifestyles change globally, and in all sorts of ecosystems. In Old Fields, the editors use cases from around the world to compare theoretical models of old field vegetation change with reality, challenging us to know when benign neglect or active restoration will maximize the ecological or socioeconomic values of old field ecosystems. --Suzanne J. Milton Professor, Department of Conservation Ecology, Stellenbosch University, South Af

Conservation of plant communities often boils down to managing succession. Nowhere is this more obviously true than in old fields. This book powerfully illustrates the great variety of patterns and processes that take place in abandoned agricultural land around the globe. It is an invaluable guide to how nature beats ploughshares into swards. --Jonathan Silvertown author of Demons in Eden: The Paradox of Plant Diversity

Author Information

Viki A. Cramer is an ecologist in the School of Environmental Science at Murdoch University in Western Australia, where she teaches environmental restoration. Richard J. Hobbs is Australian Professorial Fellow at Murdoch University, fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, and editor-in-chief of the journal Restoration Ecology.

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