Fathom: The Source for Online Learning
 
Help About Us Course Directory
Our Consortium The British Library RAND Natural History Museum Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution American Film Institute University of Chicago New York Public Library London School of Economics Cambridge University Press Columbia University Victoria & Albert Museum University of Michigan The British Museum Science Museum
Browse Fathom


 
ON THIS PAGE
 
Course Sustainable Tourism
 
Feature Biodiversity: Nature's Insurance Policy Against Disaster
 
Book Biological Diversity
 
Reference Francis Harry Compton Crick
 
Member sites Columbia Earth Institute
 
ESSENTIAL READING
 
Fathom asked Dick Vane-Wright, head of entomology at The Natural History Museum, London, to recommend five books on the topic of biodiversity.
 
Fathom > Exploring Biodiversity
BIODIVERSITY LEARNING CENTER
anchor nav COURSES FEATURES BOOKS REFERENCE
 
[Exploring Biodiversity] Welcome to Exploring Biodiversity, a special learning center featuring the latest scholarship and research from experts at Fathom's member institutions. With dozens of new features and free seminars illuminating the complex issues related to biodiversity, this learning center is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in learning about the interconnectedness of earth's ecosystems and strategies to protect biological resources through sustainable development.

Explore diverse species and environments--from sharks to tropical rainforests--with the Natural History Museum's Michael Bright and Cambridge University Press author Neil Carter. Learn how researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution are working to preserve endangered whales, and what economists at the London School of Economics and Political Science have discovered about the environmental impact of tourism or enroll in a free seminar taught by University of Michigan biologist J. David Allan on current threats to biodiversity.

» Sandra Knapp on Biodiversity  
 
SELECTED COURSES AND SEMINARS
[Sustainable Tourism] Sustainable Tourism
From: London School of Economics and Political Science

In this seminar, London School of Economics lecturer Tim Forsyth explores the concept and practice of sustainable tourism. He argues that the best way to accommodate the inevitable increase in mass tourism is to encourage the practice of tourism and development as a positive experience for the local people, the tourism companies and the tourists themselves. Forsyth explains the difference between sustainable tourism and "eco-tourism," and shows that sustainable tourism is about the negotiation between tourism companies, local governments and communities in an effort to improve the impact of all types of tourism. more...

See all free seminars for Exploring Biodiversity
 
Reproduction, Genetics and the Rule of LawFREE Biodiversity: Threats and Protective MeasuresFREE
Jaws: The Natural History of SharksFREE The Secret Life of BatsFREE
 
 
SELECTED FEATURES
[Nature's Insurance Policy Against Disaster] Biodiversity: Nature's Insurance Policy Against Disaster
From: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

In this feature, WHOI's Vicky Cullen explores the concept of biodiversity, and the importance of understanding how the wide variety of organisms that inhabit the Earth contribute to both a healthy planet and human well-being. more...

 
See all features in Exploring Biodiversity
 
The Panda Is a Panda The Game of Evolution
An Introduction to Illustrated Zoologies Demystifying Simplicity
 
 
RECOMMENDED BOOKS
[Biological Diversity] Biological Diversity
By: Michael A. Huston [Cambridge University Press, Paperback]

This book describes the natural processes that must be understood in order to manage and protect the Earth's biological diversity. The author begins with a clear definition of biological diversity and a summary of the types of diversity patterns found on Earth. Next he lays out a scientific framework for understanding the complex array of diversity patterns, from the distribution of rare species to landscape patterns visible from space. Many fascinating case studies of coral reefs, fire-maintained shrublands, prairies, and tropical rain forests illustrate the theories and models described in this book, including such fundamental issues as endemism, invasions, and extinction in temperate, tropical, and marine ecosystems. more...
 
 
REFERENCE
Articles selected from Fathom's reference shelf to help you learn more about some of the significant people, terms, and themes in the study of biodiversity.

Francis Harry Compton Crick
The Columbia Encyclopedia (6th edition)


Biological Diversity
The Columbia Encyclopedia (6th edition)
 
 
SELECTED COURSES AND SEMINARS
Websites from Fathom's member institutions that offer in-depth resources and archived materials relating to biodiversity.

Columbia Earth Institute
from: Columbia University


Columbia Earthscape: An Online Resource on the Global Environment
from: Columbia University


Exploring Biodiversity
from: The Natural History Museum


University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
from: University of Michigan


Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
from: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution


"Environmental Issues" Lesson Plans
from: The New York Times Learning Network