ISSN:1051-0761    

DOI:10.2307/2269580

出版商:Ecological Society of America    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Ecological economics is a transdisciplinary effort to link the natural and social sciences broadly, and especially ecology and economics. The goal is to develop a deeper understanding of the complex linkages between ecological and economic systems, and to use that understanding to develop effective policies that will lead to a world that is ecologically sustainable, has a fair distribution of resources (both among groups and generations of humans and between humans and other species), and efficiently allocates scarce resources including natural capital. This will require new approaches that are comprehensive, adaptive, integrative, multi‐scale, and pluralistic, and that acknowledge the huge uncertainties involved. Examples of integrated assessment and modeling studies at local, regional, and global scales are discussed as cases that both require and force the integration of ecology and economics and help to build common understanding of linked ecological‐economic systems.

ISSN:1051-0761    

DOI:10.2307/2269581

出版商:Ecological Society of America    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

We examine the relationship between socioeconomic equity in opportunity and sustainability, as reflected in patterns of food production and fertility. Our analysis spans various levels of social organization, from within the household (gender‐ and age‐related equity) to relations among households (of different material wealth), among regions (particularly rural vs. urban), and among nations (rich and poor). Our preliminary results in this complex area suggest that increasing equality of opportunity at each of these levels can help to increase food production and to lower fertility rates, through varied mechanisms. Working toward such equity constitutes a no regrets strategy for transitioning to a sustainable society and increasing Earth's carrying capacity for human beings, as measures to reduce the growing disparity between rich and poor have merit on ethical grounds alone. An important caveat, however, is that equity in consumer lifestyles within and between nations cannot be achieved globally by leveling up to consumption from the bottom. Runaway consumption in rich countries must be curbed as part of an effort to reduce the scale of human enterprise to below carrying capacity while still permitting needed development among the poor.

ISSN:1051-0761    

DOI:10.2307/2269582

出版商:Ecological Society of America    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

After deploring the mystification of the term sustainability and tendencies to conflate it with society's desiderata, we desegregate three types of sustainability: social, economic, and environmental. After clarifying these three linked and overlapping concepts, and construing them with sustainable development, we distinguish quantitative throughput growth from qualitative development, and mention intergenerational equity and scarcity of natural capital that together lead to the definition of environmental sustainability by the output/input rule, i.e., keep wastes within assimilative capacities; harvest within regenerative capacities of renewable resources; deplete non‐renewables at the rate at which renewable substitutes are developed. After distinguishing development from sustainability and from growth, the paper describes the concept of natural capital and uses the concept to present four alternative definitions of environmental sustainability. Next, the paper presents criteria for analyzing environmental sustainability and uses the Ehrlich‐Holdren framework in which Population," Pffluence, and Technology are examined separately. The paper then nuances theI = PATidentity and starts to disaggregate the components of sustainability into more dynamic formulations. The final section describes how one large development agency, the World Bank, is endeavoring to incorporate these new principles into its operations.

ISSN:1051-0761    

DOI:10.2307/2269583

出版商:Ecological Society of America    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

This paper considers the significance of biological diversity in relation to large‐scale processes in complex and dynamic ecological‐economic systems. It focuses on functional diversity, and its relation to production and maintenance of ecological services that underpin human societies. Within functional groups of organisms two important categories of species are identified: keystone process species and those essential for ecosystem resilience. The latter group represents natural insurance capital. In addition to basic research on the interplay among biological diversity, functional performance, and resilience in complex self‐organizing systems, we suggest that a functional approach has two main implications for a strategy for biodiversity conservation: (1) Biodiversity conservation to assure the resilience of ecosystems is required for all systems, no matter how heavily impacted they are. It should not be limited to protected areas. (2) The social, cultural, and economic driving forces in society that cause biodiversity loss need to be addressed directly. Specifically, (a) differences between the value of biological diversity to the private individual and its fundamental value to society as a whole need to be removed; (b) social and economic policies that encourage biodiversity loss should be reformed, especially where there is a risk of irreversible damage to ecosystems and diversity; and (c) institutions that are adaptive and work in synergy with ecosystem processes and functions are critical and should be created at all levels.

ISSN:1051-0761    

DOI:10.2307/2269584

出版商:Ecological Society of America    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

This paper identifies two possible meanings for the notion of integration of disciplines: (1) strong, in which the old disciplines are, in effect, merged, and a new discipline emerges using some combination of the insights of the old ones; and (2) weak, in which each discipline continues to use and refine its own paradigm, appropriate to the system it studies, but in which they together create combined models of the interactions between the two systems. I then argue that strong integration will never be possible for ecology and economics but that weak integration is possible, useful in the world of environmental policy development, and intellectually challenging. The meaning and challenges of weak integration are explored further by reference to a multidisciplinary regional environmental modeling exercise of 20 yr ago–the Delaware Estuary Region air and water pollution control model constructed at Resources for the Future. Finally, the problem setting assumed for the Delaware (short‐term, steady‐state, conventional pollutants) is contrasted with the new problems that cry out for integrated modeling (long‐term, stochastic, exotic pollutants with poorly understood chronic effects).

ISSN:1051-0761    

DOI:10.2307/2269585

出版商:Ecological Society of America    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

This paper was prepared as concluding remarks presented at a symposium, Ecological economics: building a new paradigm for sustainability, organized by R. Costanza and R. V. O'Neill and held at the 7‐11 August 1994 annual meeting of the Ecological Society of America.

ISSN:1051-0761    

DOI:10.2307/2269586

出版商:Ecological Society of America    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY

ISSN:1051-0761    

DOI:10.2307/2269587

出版商:Ecological Society of America    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

In our statistical practice, we ecologists work comfortably within the hypothetico‐deductive epistemology of Popper and the frequentist statistical methodology of Fisher. Consequently, our null hypotheses do not often take into account pre‐existing data and do not require parameterization, our experiments demand large sample sizes, and we rarely use results from one experiment to predict the outcomes of future experiments. Comparative statistical statements such as we reject the null hypothesis at the 0.05 level, which reflect the likelihood of our data given our hypothesis, are of little use in communicating our results to nonspecialists or in describing the degree of certitude we have in our conclusions. In contrast, Bayesian statistical inference requires the explicit assignment of prior probabilities, based on existing information, to the outcomes of experiments. Such an assignment forces the parameterization of null and alternative hypotheses. The results of these experiments, regardless of sample size, then can be used to compute posterior probabilities of our hypotheses given the available data. Inferential conclusions in a Bayesian mode also are more meaningful in environmental policy discussions: e.g., our experiments indicate that there is a 95% probability that acid deposition will affect northeastern conifer forests. Based on comparisons with current statistical practice in ecology, I argue that a Bayesian ecology would (a) make better use of pre‐existing data; (b) allow stronger conclusions to be drawn from large‐scale experiments with few replicates; and (c) be more relevant to environmental decision‐making.

ISSN:1051-0761    

DOI:10.2307/2269588

出版商:Ecological Society of America    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

This paper reviews parametric empirical Bayes (PEB) methods and their application to ecological data. One of the main objections to Bayesian statistics is the subjectivity caused by specifying parameters. Attempting to remove that subjectivity, the PEB philosophy uses the Bayesian mathematical framework, but then estimates, rather than specifies, all unknown parameters. Three examples are given to illustrate PEB methods. The first is a PEB analysis for monitoring the yearly population of harbor seals, the second uses simulated data and shows how a PEB analysis combines single capture‐recapture estimates, and the third is a PEB method for spatial patch analysis of data from a transect through grassland vegetation. From the examples, the general methodology and philosophy of a PEB analysis are explained.

ISSN:1051-0761    

DOI:10.2307/2269589

出版商:Ecological Society of America    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY