This book provides students with the skills to develop their own models for application in conservation biology and wildlife management. Assuming no special mathematical expertise, the computational models used are kept simple and show how to develop models in both spreadsheet and programming language format.

• 
  
• Develops thought-provoking applications which emphasize the value of modeling as a learning tool
  
• Examines basic descriptive equations, matrix representations, consumer-resources interactions, applications in simulation, scenarios, harvesting, population viability, metapopulation dynamics, disease outbreaks, vegetation stage and state dynamics, habitat suitability assessment, and model selection statistics
  
• Includes a wide range of examples relating to birds, fish, plants and large African mammals

About the Author
Norman Owen-Smith is Research Professor in African Ecology in the School of Animal, Plant, and Environmental Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. He teaches ecology at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and is well-known internationally for his research into all aspects of wildlife ecology and bioresource conservation.

Reviews
"This is consequently very much a hands-on work and ideal as a basic manual for a course on the topic. At the same time, it will be of value to conservationists who wish to understand the basis of some modeling approach they find in a paper directly pertinent to their particular interests." (Biodivers Conserv, 2011)

An easy approach to modelling." (Mammalia, April 2009)

"This is a very interesting text. ... The focus on method and theory as well as programming means that the text encourages the reader to question even basic assumptions." (Ecological and Environmental Education)

Book Information
ISBN 9781405144391
Author Norman Owen-Smith
Format Paperback
Page Count 344
Imprint Wiley-Blackwell
Publisher John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Weight(grams) 526g
Dimensions(mm) 235mm * 156mm * 19mm