![Hidden Worlds Series II: Australia's Dingo Island and The River Jordan [VHS]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51GHKDQDHTL._SL160_SS160_.jpg)
Welcome to Ecosystem Guide
Ecosystem Article
. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for further reading, click here.
Sustainable Ecosystem Change: Is It Possible?
from:Much of the information found on the internet and indeed, even taught in schools today indicates that human activity is to blame for a whole variety of planetary ills, including climate change, depletion of irreplaceable natural resources, and animal and plant species decimation. Oftentimes the paradigm for these articles is that there is a "natural" environment, which has been offset or otherwise ruined by human involvement. However, if we consider the idea that mankind is ultimately a part of his ecosystem as much as anything else, then the question becomes this: is sustainable ecosystem change possible? And if so, what does it look like?
The question begs a bit of explanation. "Ecosystem change" is the term broadly applied to all the changes that have been observed as taking place over the time recorded in human history. For example, there is no dispute to the fact that glaciers have melted and generally shrunk over the past 100-200 years. Photographs show it; recorded data prove it. The debate begins when the question becomes: How much of this is due to human influence, and how much would have taken place in an imaginary world with no humans?
The idea that humans are not "outside" the natural ecosystem, but rather a part of it, means that some amount of ecosystem change may be unavoidable and even desirable. After all, what is there in nature that is not constantly in flux? Trees grow new leaves every season; animals give birth to young and raise them. Anything that is not changing, is dead. So then perhaps some amount of ecosystem change, whereby one ecosystem is converted to another type of ecosystem, is actually a healthy part of nature's course. The difference between humans and everything else is that a salmon doesn't worry when he defecates how it will affect his ecosystem; humans do.
Not to say that there hasn't been a vast amount of human abuse of their ecosystem, wreaking havoc on the animal and plant life forms within those systems; there has. But the question for the 21st century scientist ought to be: does human existence have to include self-destructive ecosystem change? Or could a society exist with a reasonable of comfort, safety, etc., and yet not become a major force for change within their ecosystem?
For future generations, it could be more than just an academic question; it may be the question on which their very survival depends. For if the rate of current ecosystem change cannot be slowed, by almost any account, human existence will surely be wiped out or severely curtailed.
Related Articles for Ecosystem
Ecosystem Specific links
Ecosystem News
Twitter CEO Talks Stats, Ecosystem, Hints at New Features
Twitter CEO Evan Williams revealed some numbers about Twitter usage on the company blog , while talking about how the Twitter ecosystem (of third-party developers and apps) continues to play an important role in the company's success. Twitter has over 145 million registered users , he says. Not that this is a surprise by any means, but mobile is also playing an increasingly important role ...
Read more...FYF Fest headliner Panda Bear talks about his 'authoritarian' songwriting
In the strange ecosystem of Animal Collective, Panda Bear is the difficult one. That’s saying something for a guy in a band with barely a phonetically discernible lyric in its long catalog of tongue-wagging acid jams. But while co-frontman Avey...
Read more...Human well-being is improving even as ecosystem services decline: Why?
Researchers writing a new article examine four possible explanations for why human well-being is increasing despite the global degradation of ecosystem services. Gains in food production, technological innovation generally, and time lags in the consequences of ecosystem degradation all find some support; observable trends suggest these factors may be limited in the future.
Read more...Park awaits global recognition
Kendrapara, Sept. 3: The rich biodiversity and unique ecosystem of the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park are currently under scrutiny of the several Unesco committees to ascertain whether it deserves the status of world heritage site.
Read more...Twitter drives mobile use by making it easy
Twitter.com As the mobile ecosystem expands into the mainstream it becomes increasingly important for content providers to offer intuitive user experiences to attract and retain less technically oriented consumers.
Read more...