After serving as director of the UC Natural Reserve System for more than a decade, UC Berkeley professor Alexander Glazer has applied his insights into protected natural areas to an entry in the second edition of the well-regarded Encyclopedia of Biodiversity. Glazer’s chapter on “Natural Reserves and Preserves” describes the different types of natural protected areas and their roles in sustaining ecosystems, biodiversity, and global economies.
Glazer uses classification categories and data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organization, to provide a broad perspective on natural preserves. The IUCN differentiates preserves by management purpose. These include management for science, ecosystem protection and recreation, conservation of specific natural features, and other purposes. Glazer provides descriptions for many terrestrial and marine reserves, and discusses why protecting these areas helps assure the wise long-term management of planet Earth.
The five-volume Encyclopedia of Biodiversity, Second Edition, edited by Simon Levin, is available starting March 7 from Academic Press. Those interested in receiving a PDF copy of the chapter “Natural Reserves and Preserves” for either educational use or personal or non-commercial research may contact Professor Glazer at glazer@berkeley.edu.