Restoring Regional and Global Environmental and Human Health /
First Statement of Responsibility
edited by P. Crabbé, A. Holland, L. Ryszkowski, L. Westra.
.PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION, ETC
Place of Publication, Distribution, etc.
Dordrecht :
Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.
Imprint: Springer,
Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.
2000.
SERIES
Series Title
Nato Science Series, Series IV: Earth and Environmental Series,
Volume Designation
1
ISSN of Series
1568-1238 ;
SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT
Text of Note
The concept of ecological integrity is used in environmental policy but is usually left undefined. The definition proposed by the Integrity Group is quite demanding: it tends to focus on a nature that has been impacted by human activity as little as possible, viz., located in remote areas, emphasising and protecting its self organising capacities for life as a product of the natural history of ecosystems. The demand is for an ethical reverence for life in all its manifestations. The representatives of Central and Eastern European countries are less wary of human intervention than their North American counterparts. They consider low input agricultural ecosystems as acceptable candidates for ecological integrity, on condition they contain some unproductive components. In its study of ecological integrity the book's strength is its true multidisciplinarity, strongly grounded in ecology, thermodynamics, ethics and complex systems approach. It covers a broad international terrain, it documents geographically wide ranging case studies. It is thus applied in character and does not remain at the purely conceptual level. Readership: National parks and protected areas administrators, IUCN, ecologists, conservation biologists and environmental managers.