Biodiversity and Conservation : Characterization and Utilization of Plants, Microbes and Natural Resources for Sustainable Development and Ecosystem Management

This volume provides an enlightening and pragmatic approach to preserving biological diversity by gathering a wide range of peer-reviewed scientific content from biodiversity researchers and conservators from around the world. It brings comprehensive knowledge and information on the present status of conservation of biological diversity including floral, faunal, and microbial diversity. A detailed account of recent trends in conservation and applications under changing climate conditions, focusing mainly on agriculturally and industrially important microbes and their sustainable utilization, is presented as well.

Over the past five decades, extensive research work has been done on many aspects of biodiversity conservation and sustainable utilization of biological resources. This book examines this crucial issue. Chapters discuss biodiversity concepts, benefits, and values for economic and sustainable development; explores applications and strategies for biodiversity preservation; and considers the role of biodiversity conservation in public awareness services and cultural significance. The volume also examines the process of evolution and the future of biodiversity in conjunction with climate change factors, with special reference to infectious diseases.

 

Jeyabalan Sangeetha, PhD, is Assistant Professor at Central University of Kerala at Kasaragod, South India. She earned her BSc in Microbiology and PhD in Environmental Science from Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India. She holds an MSc in Environmental Science from Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. She is the recipient of a Tamil Nadu Government Scholarship and a Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship from the University Grants Commission, Government of India, for her doctoral studies. She served as the Dr. D.S. Kothari Postdoctoral Fellow and a UGC Postdoctoral Fellow at Karnatak University, Dharwad, South India, during 2012–2016 with funding from the University Grants Commission, Government of India, New Delhi. Her research interests are in environmental toxicology, environmental microbiology, and environmental biotechnology, and her scientific/community leadership has included serving as editor of an international journal, Acta Biololgica Indica.

Devarajan Thangadurai, PhD, is Senior Assistant Professor at Karnatak University in South India, President of the International Society for Applied Biotechnology, and General Secretary for the Association for the Advancement of Biodiversity Science. In addition, Dr. Thangadurai is Editor-in-Chief of two international journals, Biotechnology, Bioinformatics and Bioengineering and Acta Biologica Indica. He received his PhD in Botany from Sri Krishnadevaraya University in South India. During 2002–2004, he worked as a CSIR Senior Research Fellow with funding from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. He served as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Madeira, Portugal, University of Delhi, India, and ICAR National Research Centre for Banana, India. He is the recipient of the Best Young Scientist Award with a Gold Medal from Acharya Nagarjuna University, India, and the VGST-SMYSR Young Scientist Award of the Government of Karnataka, Republic of India. He has authored and edited nineteen books, including Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (3 vols.); Genes, Genomes and Genomics (2 vols.); Mycorrhizal Biotechnology; Genomics and Proteomics; Industrial Biotechnology; and Environmental Biotechnology, with publishers of national and international reputation. He has also visited Portugal, Indonesia, Ukraine, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Oman, Vietnam, Malaysia, China, Georgia, United Arab Emirates, Myanmar, Egypt, Italy, and Russia for academic work, scientific meetings, and international collaborations.

Hong Ching Goh, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia. She holds a PhD in Natural Science (Geography) from Rheinische Friedrich Wilhelms-Universitaet Bonn, Germany, a bachelor’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning, and an MSc in Tourism Planning from the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. She was the 3-year scholarship recipient of the German Academic Exchange Services (DAAD), a visiting scholar to the Centre of Development Research (ZEF) Bonn, Kyoto University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She was a fellow of the ASEAN Science Leadership Program 2016 and has been a member of the Global Young Academy since 2015 of which her membership serves a five-year term. She is also a corporate member of the Malaysian Institute of Planners. Over the past 20 years, her research interests have evolved from the initial focus on mainly urban planning and tourism planning to the current emphasis on the interface between urbanization and natural resource governance.

Saher Islam, MPhil, is a PhD candidate in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology and a Higher Education Commission (HEC) Scholar of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan at the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS), Lahore, where she received her MPhil in Molecular Biology and her BS in Biotechnology and Bioinformatics. She worked as a Research Associate in a project funded by Grand Challenges Canada at UVAS. She served as Internee at the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR), Lahore. She has visited United Kingdom, Singapore, Germany, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Italy, Russia, and Maldives for training, courses, and meetings. She is the recipient of 2016 Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds Travel Grant and the 2016 Travel Grant from the Wildlife Conservation Society. She has research interests in molecular biology, bioinformatics, genetics, and conservation biology.