Sabkha Ecosystems Volume V: The Americas

Intro -- Foreword -- Preface -- Acknowledgement -- Contents -- Contributors -- Disclaimer -- Introduction -- 1: Prospects of Environmentally Friendly Farms for Food Security in Hot and Dry Coastal Areas Based on Seawater Irrigation and Wasteproducts - An Inspirational Proposal -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Rational -- 3 A Concept to Enhance Food and Water Security in Hot Dry Deserts -- 4 Technical Units -- 5 Educational, Economics, PR and Administration Units -- 6 Strategic Partnerships -- 7 Research Focus in Laboratories and External -- 8 Benefits to the Farm Owner -- 9 Visits -- 10 Expected Products and Output -- 11 Human Resources and Technical Requirements -- 12 Costs and Timing and Funding -- References -- 2: Halophytic Life in Brazilian Salt Flats: Biodiversity, Uses and Threats -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Coastal Salt Flats -- 2.1 Geomorphologic Features and Main Environmental Factors -- 2.2 Plant Communities of Coastal Salt Flats -- 2.3 Ecological and Social Significance of Coastal Salt Flats -- 2.4 Threats and Conservation -- 2.5 Ethnobotany and Potential Utilisation of Halophytes as Cash Crop -- 3 Inland Salt Flats -- 3.1 Geomorphologic Features, Inland Salt Flat Formation and Main Environmental Factors -- 3.2 Biodiversity and Plant Communities -- 3.3 Ethnobotany and Potential Utilisation of Halophytes as Cash Crop -- References -- 3: Physiological Ecology of Psammophytic and Halophytic Plant Species from Coastal Plains in Northern South America -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Climate and Soils -- 3 Vegetation Types and Floristics of the Coastal Regions and Islands of the Caribbean Coast of Colombia and Venezuela -- 4 Functional Characterization of Halophytic Vegetation -- 4.1 Mangroves -- 4.2 Terrestrial Halophytes Associated with Inland Mangroves.