Plant Identification: Creating User-Friendly Field Guides for Biodiversity Management (People and Plants International Conservation)

An important prerequisite for successful conservation is a good understanding of what we seek to conserve. Nowhere is this more the case than in the fight to protect plant biodiversity, which is threatened by human activity in many regions worldwide. This book is written in the belief that tools that enable more people to understand biodiversity can not only aid protection efforts but also contribute to rural livelihoods. Among the most important of those tools is the field guide. Plant Identification provides potential authors of field guides with practical advice about all aspects of producing user-friendly guides which help to identify plants for the purposes of conservation, sustainable use, participatory monitoring or greater appreciation of biodiversity. The book draws on both scientific and participatory processes, supported by the experience of contributors from across the tropics. It presents a core process for producing a field guide, setting out key steps, options and techniques available to the authors of a guide and, through illustration, helps authors choose methods and media appropriate to their context. Contents......Page 6 List of plates, figures, tables and boxes......Page 10 List of case studies......Page 14 People and Plants Partners......Page 15 Acknowledgements......Page 16 Introduction......Page 18 How do we 'know' nature? Classifying, naming and recognizing......Page 19 Field guides......Page 20 How to use this book......Page 22 Purpose......Page 28 Principles......Page 29 People......Page 31 Process......Page 32 Introduction......Page 40 Step 1......Page 41 Methods for consulting......Page 51 Step 2......Page 58 Step 3......Page 70 Summary......Page 73 Naming, identification and classification......Page 78 The spectrum of botanical literature......Page 89 Landmarks in the spectrum of field guides today......Page 94 Your field guide within the spectrum of types......Page 104 Introduction......Page 108 Types of guide......Page 112 Choosing access methods and the medium for your field guide......Page 134 Conclusions......Page 136 Introduction......Page 138 Characters of younger stems and leaves......Page 143 Characters of whole plants or plant populations......Page 155 Conclusions......Page 164 Kinds of information......Page 168 Managing information in a database......Page 169 Nomenclature......Page 170 Selecting, sampling and recording your sources of information......Page 173 Primary data......Page 175 Secondary sources......Page 186 Ownership, intellectual property rights and copyright......Page 190 Accuracy and reliability......Page 191 Writing......Page 193 The content of a picture......Page 200 The options for illustrative material......Page 208 Use of computers for handling illustrations......Page 221 Conclusions......Page 228 Introduction......Page 232 Overview of the testing process......Page 233 Methodology......Page 235 Organizing workshops for testing......Page 240 Preparing materials for testing......Page 246 Documentation......Page 249 Using the results of tests and workshops......Page 251 Introduction......Page 252 Choosing a publisher......Page 253 Do-it-yourself publication......Page 254 Desktop publishing......Page 255 Printing......Page 257 Getting your guide to the users......Page 259 Follow-up......Page 261 Acronyms and abbreviations......Page 266 References......Page 268 Index......Page 278 Plates......Page 286 "In order to manage, use, and conserve plants, we need to improve communication of useful information about them. For this, accurate identification using field guides is important. This book provides potential authors of field guides with an understanding of the issues and methods suitable for producing user-friendly guides which help to identify plants for the purposes of conservation, sustainable use, participatory monitoring, or greater appreciation of biodiversity. The book draws on both scientific and participatory processes, supported by the experience of contributors from across the tropics. It presents a core process for producing a field guide, setting out key steps, options, and techniques available to the authors of a guide, and, through illustration, helps authors choose methods and media appropriate to their context." -- Publisher Identifying Biodiversity : Why Do We Need Field Guides? / Anna Lawrence And William Hawthorne -- Producing A Successful Guide : Principles, Purpose, People And Process / Anna Lawrence And Patricia Norrish -- Planning And Budgeting / Anna Lawrence [and Others] -- Plant Names And Botanical Publication / William Hawthorne And Stephen Harris -- Identification : Keys And Other Access Methods / William Hawthorne -- Plant Characters Suitable For Field Guides / William Hawthorne -- Information : Finding It And Presenting It / Anna Lawrence -- Illustration / William Hawthorne And Rosemary Wise -- Testing The Field Guide / Anna Lawrence [and Others] -- Publishing The Field Guide / Anna Lawrence. Anna Lawrence And William Hawthorne. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "In this, the latest in the People and Plants series, plant conservation is described in the context of development and livelihoods, including ways of balancing the conservation of plant diversity with the productive use of plants and the land. A central contention in this book is that local people must be involved if conservation is to be successful." "This books acts as a unifying text for the People and Plants series, integrating case studies and methodologies described in earlier volumes and pointing out, in a comprehensive accessible volume, the valuable lessons that have been learned."--Jacket