The intensification of human impact and rapid climate change has had a dramatic affect on ecosystem functioning. This text places the current ecosystem changes in temporal context by analyzing the relationship between human societies and ecosystem functioning and services for the last 10,000 years. The extended time frame allows the authors to make predictions and explore the direction that human populations are heading. By using a variety of tools, including ecosystem and bioclimatic models, palaeodata, and global case studies, the book provides a thorough picture of modern ecosystems from a dynamic perspective. Trends in conservation management and land management are also highlighted. While designed to be easily accessible, this text was written for undergraduate and postgraduate students with some background of biology, geology, or environmental science. Annotation ©2014 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com) Read Less