As a field ecologist who has frequently evaluated and described natural systems in their entirety and then communicated this information to non-scientists, I find the term and concept of biodiversity very helpful. To me, the best definition is the most general definition: biodiversity relates to diversity of species (including genetic and age diversity) and of structure, currently and over time. A system with high biodiversity tends to be more productive, stable and resilient.
A single-age, single-species tree plantation may be productive in economic terms but it lacks species, genetic and structural diversity so it is not as ecologically productive, stable or resilient as it could be because of this lack of biodiversity. Warren W. Aney Senior Wildlife Ecologist 9403 SW 74th Ave Tigard, OR 97223 (503) 539-1009 (503) 246-2605 fax -----Original Message----- From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Alexandre F. Souza Sent: Thursday, 16 December, 2010 13:37 To: [email protected] Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Defining Biodiversity Hi Euan, I use the broad definition of biodiversity as senctioned by the US Congressional Biodiversity Act, HR1268 (1990), according to which "biological diversity means the full range of variety and variability within and among living organisms and the ecological complexes in which they occur, and encompasses ecosystem or community diversity, species diversity, and genetic diversity." I think biodiversity should continue to have a broad and all-encompassing meaning, and the communication problem you mention arises much more from the use of the term in place of more specific ones, when we refer to specific issues. When communicating with the public, we should be more specific when speaking about specific issues, rather than abolishing a term that has a broad meaning, and that should be reserved for broad themes. The California Biodiversity Council has a compilation of scientific definitions of biodiverstiy (http://biodiversity.ca.gov/Biodiversity/biodiv_def2.html). Best whishes, Alexandre Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2010 15:05:31 -0800 From: "Ritchie, Euan" <[email protected]> Subject: Defining biodiversity, and does the term capture the public's attention? Hi everyone, I have just returned from the Ecological Society of Australia meeting and a= mong other issues, there was much discussion about the term biodiversity. M= any people argue that this term is hard to define, and importantly, the pub= lic have no idea what it actually means and therefore they have less connec= tion/concern to preserve/conserve species and habitats. I thought it would = be interesting to hear how others define biodiversity, and if this term isn= 't helpful for conveying the importance of species diversity to the public,= what term(s) should we use? Over to you, Euan Dr. Euan G. Ritchie, Lecturer in Ecology, School of Life and Environmental = Sciences Dr. Alexandre F. Souza Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia: Diversidade e Manejo da Vida Silvestre Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS) Av. UNISINOS 950 - C.P. 275, São Leopoldo 93022-000, RS - Brasil Telefone: (051)3590-8477 ramal 1263 Skype: alexfadigas [email protected] http://www.unisinos.br/laboratorios/lecopop
