Routledge Ecosystem Planning in Florida: Solving Regional Problems through Local Decision-making

While ecosystem management requires looking beyond specific jurisdiction and focusing on broad spatial scales, most planning decisions particularly in the USA, are made at local level. By looking at land-use planning in Florida, this volume recognizes the need for planners and resource managers to address ecosystem problems at local and community levels. The factors causing ecosystem decline, such as rapid urban development and habitat fragmentation occur at the local level and are generated by local land use policies. This book argues that understanding how local jurisdictions can capture and implement the principles of managing natural systems will lead to more sustainable levels of environmental planning in the future. Review 'Land-use planning in America, though usually well-intentioned, has a checkered history, often divorced from any consideration of ecology and serving more to promote than to limit development. In this important book, Sam Brody outlines a new path. Focusing on Florida, which provides many egregious examples of uncontrolled growth, Brody offers ecosystem-based lessons for local land-use planning that will help it become more ecologically responsible. As local-level plans are cumulatively improved, biodiversity at a broader scale will benefit.' Reed F. Noss, University of Central Florida, USA 'This book is an important contribution. It moves the dialogue about environment to fundamental and action-oriented principles of ecosystem management, and moves the research agenda away from the national level to an in-depth analysis of the extent to which sustainable ecosystem management is being achieved through local comprehensive planning.' Philip R. Berke, University of North Carolina, USA '...bridges the topics of land use planning processes and regional ecological systems...novel analytical framework...This volume is likely to set a new standard in local and regional planning...Highly recommended.' -Choice About the Author Dr Samuel Brody is Associate Professor in the Environmental Planning and Sustainability Research Unit, Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Texas A&M University, USA.