THE VALUE OF NATURAL ECOSYSTEMSThe most important of the inherent values of natural ecosystems is that they contain within themselves creative powers, which, over large spans of time, have produced the stupendous array of biodiversity the world over. The presence of a species and the things that it can do have a powerful bearing on shaping the environment of all. Organisms help to make the world and then it makes them. Humans are among the most complex of the achievements of the natural forces found uniquely in these creative ecosystems.Over long periods, the following processes have been learned or have come into being from these systems: food production through photosynthesis; the build ...view middle of the document...
" But what alternative is there to setting in motion a series of actions by governments (since they make policy and are in charge of humanity's affairs) at all levels in a major effort to reverse present trends and secure the survival of the natural processes that are found in wild Nature? What alternatives are there to restoring the Earth?Ecosystem Preservation and ConservationEcosystems are dynamic complexes of biotic communities and their associated abiotic environments interacting as functional units. An ecosystem approach to conservation is the management of natural resources using system wide concepts to ensure that all plants and animals in the ecosystem are maintained at viable levels in native habitats and basic ecosystem processes are perpetuated indefinitely (Clark and Zaunbrecher, 1987).An ecosystem approach to preservation and conservation involves protecting or restoring the function, structure, and species composition of an ecosystem, recognizing that all components are interrelated (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1994).Large-scale approaches, at the level of ecosystems and landscapes, are the most reliable way to conserve biological diversity. Such approaches avoid the problems that plague species-by-species methods that quickly exhaust time, financial resources, public patience, and scientific research resources (Franklin, 1993).Another important aspect of an ecosystem approach to preservation and conservation is the ability to integrate ecosystem protection and restoration with human values and needs as a way to strengthen the connection between economic prosperity and environmental well being. The Service recognizes the fundamental connection between human communities and the environment. To this end, the Service's approach provides a "framework" that brings together federal, state, local, and tribal governments and the public to achieve the ultimate goal of a healthy and sustainable environment. Within this framework, goals are developed based on collaboratively developed visions of desired future conditions, future conditions that integrate ecological, economic, and soc...
