Professor Louis F Cassar has contributed a revised and updated version of his chapter on landscape ecology to the recently published second edition of The Routledge Companion to Landscape Studies.
This book provides a critical review of the various fields related to the study of landscapes, including conceptual and theoretical approaches, as well as current empirical knowledge and understanding. It thus encourages dialogue across disciplinary barriers and between academics and practitioners, and reflects upon the implications of research findings for local, national and international policy in relation to landscape.
The chapter, titled Landscape and ecology: the need for a holistic approach to the conservation of habitats and biota, reviews the emergence of landscape ecology as a discipline while outlining its key principles. An analysis of the relevance of applying landscape ecology to contemporary issues follows, together with an assessment of the future directions and challenges faced by this discipline.
Professor Cassar is the Director of the Institute of Earth Systems, within which he coordinates the Division of Environmental Management and Planning. Students interested in landscape ecology and other aspects of the science and management of earth systems are invited to visit the Institute’s website for more information about the courses on offer at both the undergraduate and postgraduate level.