Logo

Synopsis Today, we are undergoing a fundamental shift in our attitude to natural resources and the environment from the focus on the production of commodities to the focus on the ecological conditions of the land. Scientists, land managers, and others are increasingly proposing the ecosystem management as the best way to manage our planet's resources. It is a management philosophy that depends as much on understanding political and social factors as it does on understanding biological information. Further, ecosystem management calls for a shift in the way humans approach the natural world; it requires an explicit examination of the relationship between humans and nature, our patterns of politics, and methods of scientific inquiry. Humanity has always depended on the services provided by the biosphere and its ecosystems. Further, the biosphere is itself the product of life on Earth. The composition of the atmosphere and soil, the cycling of elements through air and waterways, and many other ecological assets are all the results of living processes-and all are maintained and replenished by living ecosystems. The human species, while buffered against environmental immediacies by culture and technology, is ultimately fully dependent on the flow of ecosystem services. Patterns of politics suggested by ecosystem management include public deliberation of values toward the environment, cooperative solutions, and dispersion of power and authority. These are all avenues to lessen social hierarchy and domination. The significance lies in the fact that ecosystem management maintains the flow and balance between environment, economic as well as social goods and services. Institutions as well as every global citizen must, therefore, cooperate towards this end.