(Estuaries of the World) 1st ed. 2021 Edition
by Charly Machemehl (Editor), Olivier Sirost (Editor), Jean-Paul Ducrotoy (Editor)
The introduction of sports and recreational facilities into natural
environments calls for reflection on their impact on fragile ecosystems.
This book is unique in providing an interdisciplinary approach to the
ecological restoration of urban and industrial degraded habitats and
their use by nearby city-dwellers. For the first time ecologists,
sociologists and anthropologists have worked together on particularly
sensitive ecosystems such as rivers and estuaries to propose recovery
strategies that allow their basic ecological functions to be restored,
and which can benefit local populations through nature activities.
Nonetheless, the
use of natural spaces calls for the building of sustainable towns. This
is why this book is distinctive in considering quality of life and
well-being as stated objectives of modern river towns. Recently, leisure
time has become a part of urban rhythms. In order to favour personal
development, an extensive palette of leisure activities is considered by
the authors:
- bird watching
- entertainment
- sports
- culture
Many
aspects including physical and psychological attributes in relation to
the contemporary socio-political fabric are dealt with.
While
creating areas of freedom, landscaping also induces certain forms of
practice and encourages certain social skills. Conversely, the book
questions certain types of management based on mass consumption. Don’t
they, in the end, aim to satisfy needs that are impermanent and shallow?
The image of the contemporary town relies on urban planning projects
which, in a global economy, seek to capture the interest of tourists and
local populations. How can suitable, diligent planning be successfully
combined with both creative design and ecological care? This book
demonstrates how biology and sociology can (and should) work in harmony
in order to promote an ecosystem approach to environmental management.