Ecology of Tropical Cities, Volume II

This contributed volume addresses the global scale of urbanization and its impacts on biodiversity. By adding human capital, cities are incubators for new ideas and technologies, creating the possibility for socially and environmentally sensitive growth, but this is rarely seen. Urban ecology, an essential field that supports planning based on environmental perspectives, is a new science in tropical countries. This book discusses the social inequity embedded in tropical cities and explores how this inequity also materializes in biodiversity, with poor neighborhoods of tropical cities lacking sufficient access to green space, and therefore reduced access to the benefits of nature, and poor support for biodiversity. With the current biodiversity crisis, the traditional approach to protecting pristine areas is insufficient. The chapters in this volume illustrate how tropical cities can act as spaces for biological conservation. Ecological literacy can help cities reconcile the needs of both people and of nature.

This book compiles studies by experts from more than 100 institutions and 29 countries on the ecology and biodiversity of tropical cities at multiple scales and applies their studies to urban planning and management. The audience for this book includes researchers, students, and professionals working on environmental, social, economic, cultural, political, architectural, and development projects in urban areas, offering a deep and timely discussion of their influence on the fauna and flora of tropical cities. 

Dr. Fabio Angeoletto is a Brazilian biologist, journalist, and science communicator. He holds a PhD in Ecology from the Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain. Currently, he is a professor and researcher in the Graduate Program in Environmental Management and Technology at Universidade Federal de Rondonópolis, Brazil. His research aims to understand how human factors influence the biodiversity of tropical cities, and how urban ecology could be applied in urban planning and environmental management and in the conservation of urban tropical biodiversity.

Dr. Piotr Tryjanowski has been director of the Institute of Zoology at the Poznań University of Life Sciences in Poland since 2009. Currently is also a guest professor at the Institute of Advanced Study Technical University of Munich, Germany. His research has a wide geographical scope, which includes tropical countries. His scientific interests include behavioral ecology, climate impact, birds in rural landscapes, and urban ecology. Dr. Tryjanowski has been dedicated to studying how urbanization affects the phenology of birds, what are the impacts of urban and industrial infrastructure on birds and other animals. He published more than 250 scientific articles, which were cited more than 12,000 times. In November 2019 Professor Piotr Tryjanowski was awarded the title of Doctor Honoris Causa by the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague.

Dr.  Mark  Fellowes is a Full Professor of Zoology and Pro-Vice Chancellor at Royal Holloway, University of London. He was previously at the University of Reading, UK. With a broad background in insect evolutionary ecology, his more recent work has focused on urban ecosystems, with a particular interest in how human decisions affect urban biodiversity. His projects have taken place in the UK, Brazil, India, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, and the USA, working on species ranging from weevils and aphids to sloth bears and leopards. In addition to his papers, Mark has published four popular science books in the 30-Second series, on Evolution, Biology, Ecology, and Zoology, the latter of which was chosen as one of the wildlife books of the year by BBC Wildlife magazine. Mark’s work has been widely covered in the press and broadcast media.