United States
£ GBP
Examines the complex mosaic of physical environments which comprise Southeast Asia, and the current environmental problems and management practices which have arisen in this part of the world. The book is in three sections. The first section introduces the basic environmental components (geology, landforms, rivers, vegetation, and others) across the entire region. The second section discusses specific environments that are characteristic of this assemblage of continental and maritime landscapes (volcanic islands, coastal environment, granitic terrains, karst, etc.). The third and final section illustrates the ecological relationship between the environment and people (volcanic hazards, urban environment, coastal zone development, coral reefs, and others).
The physical environment of Southeast Asia is examined at different levels, covering a world region that ranges from ancient, stable landmasses to dynamic, unstable plate boundaries, from aged, primary rainforests to brash, vibrant, resource-demanding built environments. Southeast Asia has been perceived as a laboratory for studying plate tectonics. It is an assemblage of large river basins, peninsulas and archipelagos, and seas surrounded by islands. It is an area of great physical variations where parts of the physical environment have been significantly degraded anthropogenically, following rapid population growth and development. In large parts of the region, the forms and processes on land and offshore should no longer be seen as entirely natural. As this book repeatedly illustrates, plate tectonics and people are both important contributors to the physical geography of Southeast Asia.
Introduction; I. THE PHYSICAL FRAMEWORK; 1. The Geological Framework; 2. The Quaternary in Southeast Asia; 3. Landforms of Southeast Asia; 4. Rivers of Southeast Asia; 5. The Climate of Southeast Asia; 6. Soils of Southeast Asia; 7. Vegetation; II. SPECIFIC ENVIRONMENTS; 8. Granite Terrains; 9. Volcanic Islands; 10. Karst in Southeast Asia; 11. The Coastal Environment of Southeast Asia; 12. The Mekong River Basin; 13. Southeast Asian Deltas; III. ENVIRONMENT AND PEOPLE; 14. Accelerated Erosion and Sedimentation in Southeast Asia; 15. Volcanic Hazards in Southeast Asia; 16. Hazards and Risks at Gunung Merapi, Central Java: A Case Study; 17. Hydrology and Rural Water Supply in Southeast Asia; 18. The Urban Environment in Southeast Asia; 19. Water Supply to Cities; 20. Urban Geomorphology, Kuala Lumpur; 21. Subsidence and Flooding in Bangkok; 22. Urban Pollution in Southeast Asia; 23. Coastal Zone Development in Southeast Asia; 24. Coral Reefs of Southeast Asia: Controls, Patterns, and Human Impacts
