Contemporary Environmental Problems in Nepal: Geographic Perspectives (Advances in Asian Human-Environmental Research)

This book will utilize many empirical examples of environmental cases spanning the diverse landscapes of Nepal to demonstrate how useful information GIS tools can be in effective decision making and record keeping in such a problematic South Asian 'developing country'

Through various examples, this book will demonstrate how possible it is to save planning time for development engineers who often spend 40% to 60% of their time while validating information. GIS can reduce such project delivery time by 20% to 50%

This book presents cases how GIS can help in the improvement of data management through a better understanding of spatial phenomena. It will present illustrated examples how GIS application incorporates mathematical methods to utilize locational information to connect various disciplines, such as biology, epidemiology, ethnology, geography, sociology and statistics

Through the uses of GIS, remote sensing, GPS, and statistical procedures, this book brings together different applications of spatial analysis methods for understanding geographic variation of certain entities while considering various spatial effects

This book also does certain spatial analysis, modelling and simulation techniques for solving location problems and informing spatial allocation and deployment of resources

It also presents case studies of participatory forest management using a spatial-temporal model. Furthermore, this book analyzes the paths of forest degradation and regeneration and villagers' utility before and after an access restriction. These approaches will help to improve both forest quality and villagers' livelihoods. Our examples presented in this book will be useful worldwide both in academics and real world problem solving

Keshav Bhattarai is Professor of Geography at the University of Central Missouri. His research interests are urban planning, demographic studies, migration, land use dynamics, tourism, terrorism, cultural geography, transportation geography, and refugee issues. He has written articles on land use and cover dynamics, tourism and terrorism, demography, urban growth, refugees, forest management, crime mapping, and transportation modeling, and book chapters on cultures, demography, and urban growth. Most of his research concentration is in Nepal. He has co-authored Historical Dictionary of Nepal with Nanda Shrestha. He has also written two books on Nepal's forest management. He did his Ph. D. under the supervision of Prof. Dennis Conway. He has received research grants from the Ford Foundation, Indian Space Grant, and University Research Council of the University of Central Missouri. He teaches Economic Geography, Geography of Asia, Geography of the Middle East, Research Methods, Conservation Geography, Political Geography, Environmental Geography, Urban Geography, Cartography, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing, Global Positioning System courses along with the regional courses of Europe and Asia.

Dennis Conway is Professor emeritus of Geography at Indiana University, Bloomington, USA. His research interests span development geography, urban geography, population geography, transnational migration, globalization's influences on temporary, irregular and legal mobility patterns and processes and contemporary Caribbean tourism and development. He has written over 140 articles and book chapters with their regional focus being two dramatically different geographical contexts- contemporary Nepal and the Commonwealth Caribbean. In Nepal, his research has examined migration and development issues, human-environment relationships, deforestation and forest settlement dynamics. In the Caribbean, his interests were broader: Caribbean urbanization, internal and transnational migration, economic development, alternative 'Caribbean tourisms' and the geographical and environmental consequences of these processes of social change and transformation. He is co-author of nine edited books. Some of his books include The Contemporary Caribbean (with Robert B. Potter, David Barker and Thomas Klak 2004); The Experience of Return Migration: Caribbean Perspectives (with Robert B. Potter and Joan Phillips 2005); Globalization's Contradictions: Geographies of Discipline, Destruction and Transformation (with Nik Heynen 2006) and Return Migration of the Next Generations: 21st Century Transnational Mobility (with Robert B. Potter 2009). He is currently a member of the Editorial Boards of Progress in Development Studies and the Open Geography Journal. His research has been funded by the Ford/Rockefeller Foundation, the National Science Foundation, UNECLAC, Population Office, USAID/MUCIA, and the National Geographic Society's Committee for Research and Exploration. As policy input, he has acted as a consultant to UNECLAC, Port of Spain, Trinidad, specifically preparing a Caribbean Population Background Paper (with George Stolnitz) and as Co-Director of an EPAT/MUCIA Project for USAID on "Institutional Mechanisms for Coastal Resources Protection in Small Caribbean Countries" (with Emilio F. Moran).