Conservation biologists use the results of regular monitoring of the species diversity and structure of plant communities to help understand the impacts of perturbations caused by humans and other environmental factors on ecosystems worldwide. Changes in plant communities can, for example, be a reflection of increased levels of pollution, a response to long-term climate change, or the result of shifts in land-use practices by the human population.

This book presents a series of essays on the application of plant biodiversity monitoring and assessment to help prevent species extinction and ecosystem collapse and to solve problems in biodiversity conservation. Written by a large, international team of researchers, Plant Biodiversity uses case studies and examples from all over the world and from a broad range of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.