Refecting what a new generation of conservation biologists is doing and thinking, this vital and far ranging second edition explores where conservation biology is heading. It challenges many conventions of conservation biology by exposing certain weaknesses of widely accepted principles. Combining contributions from both the school and the new breed of conservation biologists, this insightful text focuses primarily on topics the are integral to the daily activities of conservation biologists. Several chapters address ecosystem restoration and biotic invasions as well as the the mechanics of population viability analyses, which are now a routine facet of conservation efforts. A case history approach is implemented throughout the book, with the use of practical real-world examples. Furthermore, an in-depth look at quantitative analyses is presented, allowing for models and mathematical analyses to pinpoint limitations in existing data and guide research toward those aspects of biology that are most likely to be critical to the dynamics of a species or an ecosystem.

Section I Saving Species Through Population Biology and Viability Analyses: A Morass of Math, Myth, and Mistakes?.- 1 The Analysis of Population Persistence: An Outlook on the Practice of Viability Analysis.- 2 Rare Plant Demography: Lessons from the Mariposa Lilies (Calochortus: Liliaceae).- 3 Evaluating Extinction Risks in Plant Populations.- 4 Physical Effects of Habitat Fragmentation.- 5 Reintroduction of Rare Plants: Genetics, Demography and the Role of Ex Situ Conservation Methods.- Section II Broad Brushes and Taxonomic Tours: Summaries of the State of the Natural World.- 6 Conservation and Management of Species in the Sea.- 7 Reptilian Extinctions over the Last Ten Thousand Years.- 8 Conservation Status of the World's Fish Fauna: An Overview.- 9 Challenges in Insect Conservation: Managing Fluctuating Populations in Disturbed Habitats.- 10 An Australian Perspective on Plant Conservation Biology in Practice.- Section III Habitat Degradation and Ecological Restoration: Hubris, Hegemony, and Healing.- 11 Critical Issues in Invasion Biology for Conservation Science.- 12 Challenges and Approaches for Conserving Hawaii's Endangered Birds.- 13 Picking Up the Pieces: Botanical Conservation on Degraded Oceanic Islands.- 14 When Do Genetic Considerations Require Special Approaches to Ecological Restoration?.- 15 Replacing Endangered Species Habitat: The Acid Test of Wetland Ecology.- Section IV When Conservation Meets the Real World of Economics, Politics, and Tradeoffs.- 16 The Economics of Biological Diversity Conservation.- 17 The Patagonia Challenge: Melding Conservation with Development.- 18 Tropical Agroecology and Conservation Ecology: Two Paths Toward Sustainable Development.- Section V New Technologies and Novel Perspectives for the Next Generation ofConservation Biology.- 19 Using Molecular Genetics to Learn about the Ecology of Threatened Species: The Allure and the Illusion of Measuring Genetic Structure in Natural Populations.- 20 Conservation Endocrinology: Field Endocrinology Meets Conservation Biology.- 21 Global Climate Change and Species Interactions.- 22 Contributions of Spatially Explicit Landscape Models to Conservation Biology.- Epilogue A Retrospective "Gap Analysis".