Abstract

This volume is a comprehensive treatment of how the principles of ecology and conservation biology can be used to maximize biological control. Conservation Biological Control presents various means to modify or manipulate the environment to enhance the activities of natural enemies of pests. It establishes a conceptual link between ecology and the agricultural use of agents for biological control, and discusses both theoretical issues as well as practical management concerns. Certain to be interesting to ecologists and entomologists, this volume will also appeal to scientists, faculty, researchers and students interested in pest management, horticulture, plant sciences, and agriculture.

• Contains chapters by an international team of leading authorities
• Establishes a conceptual link between ecology and the agricultural use of agents for biological control
• Discusses both theoretical issues as well as practical management concerns
• Provides specific examples of how conservation principles are used to maximize the biological control of pests

"This collection of papers by leading authorities in pest control and management takes the unique approach of using conservation biology as the central theme. The different sections are all well written and provide insights into the efforts to both conserve natural enemies and control pests through conservation biological control (e.g., strip-harvesting of alfalfa, etc.). The authors point out the value of this approach and the difficulties involved with its application under current agricultural and economic systems." --D.W. Kitchen in CHOICE, April 1999

"The timeliness of Conservation Biological Control is striking. The suggested alternative approach to biological-based management of invasive species is exciting in its ecological justification and its sustainability. This book is an excellent introduction to the current state-of-the-art in the preservation, facilitation, and augmentation of native natural enemies as biological controls." --Svata M. Louda in ECOLOGY, July 1999

"...Barbosa has successfully co-ordinated an international group of authors to provide a comprehensive coverage of a wide selection of topics from the ecological basis of the subject, and its practical application, through to the constraints on uptake and the problems of compatibility with the economics of cropping systems. There is, however, a lot of interesting science in this book and this reviewer thinks that the content of many of the well referenced chapters will be of interest to ecologists as well as biological control specialists." --BIOCONTROL NEWS AND INFORMATION