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Title: Biodiversity and industry ecosystem management

Abstract

Biodiversity describes the array of interacting, genetically distinct populations and species in a region, the communities they are functioning parts. Ecosystem health is a process identifying biological indicators, end points, and values. The decline of populations or species, an accelerating trend worldwide, can lead to simplification of ecosystem processes, thus threatening the stability an sustainability of ecosystem services directly relevant to human welfare in the chain of economic and ecological relationships. The challenge of addressing issues of such enormous scope and complexity has highlighted the limitations of ecology-as-science. Additionally, biosphere-scale conflicts seem to lie beyond the scope of conventional economics, leading to differences of opinion about the commodity value of biodiversity and of the services that intact ecosystems provide. In the fact of these uncertainties, many scientists and economists have adopted principles that clearly assign burdens of proof to those who would promote the loss of biodiversity and that also establish {open_quotes}near-trump{close_quotes} (preeminent) status for ecological integrity. Electric utility facilities and operations impact biodiversity whenever construction, operation, or maintenance of generation, delivery, and support facilities alters landscapes and habitats and thereby impacts species. Although industry is accustomed to dealing with broad environmental concerns (such as global warming or acid rain),more » the biodiversity issue invokes hemisphere-side, regional, local, and site-specific concerns all at the same time. Industry can proactively address these issues of scope and scale in two main ways: first, by aligning strategically with the broad research agenda put forth by informed scientists and institutions; and second, by supporting focused management processes whose results will contribute incrementally to the broader agenda of rebuilding or maintaining biodiversity. 40 refs., 8 figs.« less

Authors:
 [1]
  1. Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA (United States)
Publication Date:
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
420423
Report Number(s):
CONF-960329-
Journal ID: EMNGDC; ISSN 0364-152X; TRN: 96:006484-0004
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Environmental Management
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 20; Journal Issue: 6; Conference: Managing for biodiversity: emerging ideas for the electric utility industry conference, Williamsburg, VA (United States), 19-20 Mar 1996; Other Information: PBD: Nov-Dec 1996
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
29 ENERGY PLANNING AND POLICY; SPECIES DIVERSITY; RESOURCE MANAGEMENT; INDUSTRY; ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY; ECOSYSTEMS

Citation Formats

Coleman, W G. Biodiversity and industry ecosystem management. United States: N. p., 1996. Web. doi:10.1007/BF01205961.
Coleman, W G. Biodiversity and industry ecosystem management. United States. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01205961
Coleman, W G. 1996. "Biodiversity and industry ecosystem management". United States. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01205961.
@article{osti_420423,
title = {Biodiversity and industry ecosystem management},
author = {Coleman, W G},
abstractNote = {Biodiversity describes the array of interacting, genetically distinct populations and species in a region, the communities they are functioning parts. Ecosystem health is a process identifying biological indicators, end points, and values. The decline of populations or species, an accelerating trend worldwide, can lead to simplification of ecosystem processes, thus threatening the stability an sustainability of ecosystem services directly relevant to human welfare in the chain of economic and ecological relationships. The challenge of addressing issues of such enormous scope and complexity has highlighted the limitations of ecology-as-science. Additionally, biosphere-scale conflicts seem to lie beyond the scope of conventional economics, leading to differences of opinion about the commodity value of biodiversity and of the services that intact ecosystems provide. In the fact of these uncertainties, many scientists and economists have adopted principles that clearly assign burdens of proof to those who would promote the loss of biodiversity and that also establish {open_quotes}near-trump{close_quotes} (preeminent) status for ecological integrity. Electric utility facilities and operations impact biodiversity whenever construction, operation, or maintenance of generation, delivery, and support facilities alters landscapes and habitats and thereby impacts species. Although industry is accustomed to dealing with broad environmental concerns (such as global warming or acid rain), the biodiversity issue invokes hemisphere-side, regional, local, and site-specific concerns all at the same time. Industry can proactively address these issues of scope and scale in two main ways: first, by aligning strategically with the broad research agenda put forth by informed scientists and institutions; and second, by supporting focused management processes whose results will contribute incrementally to the broader agenda of rebuilding or maintaining biodiversity. 40 refs., 8 figs.},
doi = {10.1007/BF01205961},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/420423}, journal = {Environmental Management},
number = 6,
volume = 20,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1996},
month = {Fri Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1996}
}