This work examines not only the physical geography of Mediterranean environments, but also the human impacts on the ecology of each area. Case material from Europe is included as well as the mediterranean environments of South Africa, North America, Chile and Australia.

Analysing the factors which account for the present distributions of plants and animals, and the functioning of ecosystems within the Mediterranean Basin can help in the understanding of the relationship between people and natural ecosystems. A key to the conservation of these ecosystems is the wise use of resources, biological and physical. In addition, it is vital to assess how the natural environments of the region will respond to further change. In the last twenty years, understanding of the functioning of mediterranean-type ecosystems has advanced through several international projects. This book draws upon the findings of these, and other research in the Mediterranean Basin, to present a comprehensive text on a key region of the world, and the problems and prospects of its environmental exploitation.

1. The Mediterranean: An Introduction 2. Climate 3. Topography and Drainage 4. Soils 5. Plants and Animals 6. Communities 7. Ecosystems 8. Land Use 9. Environmental Issues and Conservation 10. Appendix 1 - A Note on the Taxonomy of Plants and Animals 11. Appendix 2 - Geological Chronology 12. Appendix 3 - Calibration of the Radiocarbon Timescale