You are in: Home » Staff and students » Harriet Allen
Harriet Allen
 |
Harriet Allen Ph.D.Department of Geography,Downing Place, Cambridge CB2 3EN England, UK Phone +44 1223 766576
e-mail hda1@cam.ac.uk |
Research Interests
1) Environmental change in the Mediterranean region: sources of evidence.2) Understanding contemporary vegetation communities in the light of environmental changes resulting from climatic and anthropogenic impacts and the variety of physical landscapes.
3) Biogeography of Mediterranean ecosystems.
Current Projects
Changing ecological status of wetlands in the Algarve, southern Portugal through the Holocene. This focuses on the record of changing local pollen zones and analysis of the sediments and of catchment sites.Recent Publications
- Allen, H.D. 2003 Response of past and present Mediterranean ecosystems to environmental change Progress in Physical Geography, 27, 359-377.
- Allen, H.D. 2003 A transient coastal wetland: from estuarine to supratidel conditions in less than 2000 years - Boca do Rio, Algarve, Portugal Land Degradation and Development, 14, 265-283
- Allen, H.D. 2000 Wetland ecosystem changes: Boca do Rio, Algarve, Portugal. INQUA XI International Congress, Durban, South Africa. Quaternary International 63/64
- Allen, H.D. 2001 Mediterranean Ecogeography Pearsons Education
Mediterranean Ecogeography
Biological diversity in the Mediterranean region is amongst the highest of any region on earth, both in terms of total species numbers and endemism. The high levels of diversity contribute to, and are a reflection of, the considerable variability of the landscape. This results from a combination of factors including geological and tectonic history, relief and physiography, climate, geomorphological processes, hydrology, soils, the incidence of fires and impact of human activities. The landscapes of the Mediterranean are thus varied and fragmented: a mosaic of ecosystems and communities.
Mediterranean Ecogeography examines and explains this heterogeneity. Analysing the factors which account for the present distribution of plants and animals and the functioning of ecosystems within the region can help in the understanding of the relationship between people and ecosystem processes. A key to the conservation of different Mediterranean ecosystems is the wise use of resources, both physical and biological. In the last twenty years there has been a growing interest in the understanding and functioning of mediterranean-type ecosystems and this volume draws upon the results of many international projects to present a comprehensive text on the ecogeography of the Mediterranean region, including the problems and prospects of its environmental exploitation. The chapter titles are: The Mediterranean ? an introduction; Climate; Topography and drainage; Soils; Plants and animals; Communities; Ecosystems; Land use; Environmental issues and conservation.