Environmental Studies: Principles and Practices

A comprehensive textbook discussing and analyzing fundamental concepts of environment and various issues and challenges related to it. 

Closely following the UGC CBCS guidelines on the Ability Enhancement Compulsory Course (AECC) on Environmental Studies, this textbook offers a comprehensive coverage of the subject in a simple and lucid language. 

Spread through 8 units, the book adopts a multidisciplinary approach to discuss and analyse the fundamental concepts of environment and its sustainable management, ecosystems, environmental impacts, issues and challenges, and field work. Through global and local examples and caselets, illustrations, tables and images, the book attempts to make the topics easy-to-understand and imbibe. 

Environmental Studies: Principles and Practices ardently forwards the cause for dissemination of knowledge on environmental degradation and enhancing awareness on ways and methods of nature conservation. Apart from students of humanities, social sciences, science and management, it will also be useful for environmental managers, government officials, trainees and aspiring candidates of various competitive examinations.

Key Features:

• Comprehensive coverage of the UGC AECC syllabus guidelines on environmental studies

• Includes ample examples and case studies for theoretical and practical understanding of the topics 

• Includes an analysis of major environmental policies and legislations in India and their implications 

• Lucid and pithy treatment of topics, devoid of scientific jargons and terminologies

Abhik Gupta is Professor and Pro Vice-Chancellor, Assam University, Silchar, Assam, India. He has an experience of over 35 years of teaching biology and environmental science in both undergraduate and postgraduate courses and has supervised over 25 doctoral theses. He was instrumental in framing the first-ever syllabus and writing the first manual of environmental studies for Assam (Central) University in 1996. Professor Gupta’s research interests include biodiversity studies, environmental pollution, policy and ethics, in which he has published about 200 papers and book chapters in peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes. He has also made presentations in over 100 international, national and regional seminars and conferences in India and 14 other countries. He was the recipient of the ‘Water Voice Award’ from World Water Council; Fellow of National Institute of Ecology, India; and Erasmus Mundus Senior Scholarship and Academic Staff Grant at the Netherlands and Spain. He has delivered invited lectures at different universities and research institutes in Australia, Spain, the USA, the Netherlands, Japan and India. He is also a reviewer for several journals published by Elsevier, Springer, Taylor & Francis, SAGE, Royal Society of Chemistry and others.

Susmita Gupta has about 18 years of experience of teaching environmental science to postgraduate and undergraduate students. Her research area of interest is freshwater ecology and biomonitoring in which she has over 90 research publications in peer-reviewed journals. She has successfully guided more than 10 doctoral students and participated in a number of national and international conferences in India and abroad. Professor Gupta has delivered invited lectures in Australia and some Indian universities. She is also a reviewer of Elsevier and Springer journals.