Ramsar Wetlands of the North American West Coast and Central Pacific

This is the first comprehensive international atlas featuring all ecological services provided by Ramsar wetlands, with complete views of all Ramsar sites, through remote sensing and mapping. Written by an international expert on wetlands and remote sensing, this atlas is for a broad audience and compiles much-needed information on how the Ramsar wetlands are of significant value to the planet and society and can and should be managed in such a way that supports planetary sustainability. Focused on the 72 designated Ramsar sites along the western coasts of Alaska, Canada, California, Mexico, and the Central Pacific islands, each wetland is articulately documented with respect to its specific ecological functions and services.

Features

• Provides a comprehensive assessment of the key biophysical and societal elements of each Ramsar-designated wetland along the North American West Coast, and Central Pacific
• Brings all designated Ramsar wetlands to the reader, in one visually appealing compendium using geospatial technology
• Aids in highlighting the importance of, and options for, wetland conservation and restoration worldwide
• Explains the important role that wetlands play in environmental sustainability, directly supporting the global sustainable development goals of the United Nations
• Introduces the contributions of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands to global conservation and restoration

This atlas is intended for wetland managers and policymakers involved in the Ramsar Convention activities and for wetland ecologists and other allied environmental scientists and practitioners, such as hydrologists, microbiologists, and botanists. It is also a valuable resource for researchers, faculty, and graduate students affiliated with programs such as Wetland Ecology, Wetland Management, Environmental Studies, Environmental Management, and Survey of Wetlands.

Over the last four decades Dr. Ricardo "Ric" Lopez has provided leadership on diverse environmental science issues. During his tenure in both academia, and in public service with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the US Forest Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ric has inspired scientific research teams and natural resource managers across a variety of geographic areas, from Asia and Indo-Pacific Regions to the Americas, focusing on shared learning and public service among diverse communities of the world. A natural thread that is woven throughout his life and career, and writings, is of the importance of sustaining all of the planet's ecosystems, and the people that rely upon them. Among the very first areas of research that Ric focused upon was within the wetlands of the Laurentian Great Lakes, and he is proud to have contributed to that particular 'community of science and conservation' during the past several decades, a time when wetlands have become more fully recognized for their critical role in maintaining life on our changing planet. Ric earned his B.S. in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution at the University of California, San Diego, and his Master's and Doctoral degrees in the Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University, with an emphasis in Landscape Ecology and Wetland Ecology. Ric is currently Administrator of the Pacific Islands Area of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, conserving and serving 'āina (Hawaiian Language meaning: the land, earth), among the 22 National Wildlife Refuges and 4 Marine National Monuments of the Pacific.