Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Maximizing biodiversity, information and sustainability

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Biodiversity and Conservation Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Numerous global changes—notably anthropogenic extinction—force reconsideration of our management practices and the ways we regulate human influence in today’s world. Here, I define management to maximize biodiversity and illustrate the science that provides information to set goals for such management. Maximizing biodiversity simultaneously achieves sustainability and systemic health by avoiding the abnormal or pathological. The normal or sustainable are determined through the use of empirical integrative patterns to objectively account for the complexity of systems within which we find ourselves as a species. The science that reveals these integrative patterns provides measures of problems that can be solved by maximizing biodiversity—problems heretofore recognized only qualitatively. I use the Shannon-Weiner information index to test, and, with no surprise, reject the null hypothesis that there is no direct anthropogenic effect on biodiversity. The results of this science serve as examples of the kind of information most useful for guiding management and illustrate maximized biodiversity as a standard for management. Reference points based on maximized biodiversity are preferable to statistical parameters in meeting the objective of avoiding the abnormal or pathological in our interactions with other species, ecosystems and the biosphere. Management to maximize biodiversity is implemented by modifying human interactions with other biotic systems to achieve consistency in such interactions by mimicking natural role models of sustainability. Human influence is a significant factor in today’s world and the magnitude of such influence is illustrated by comparing humans with other species.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ashford RW (2007) Disease as a stabilizing factor in the protection of landscape: the leishmaniases as models. EcoHealth 4:99–103

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Backus RH, Bourne DW (1986) Georges Bank. MIT Press, Boston

    Google Scholar 

  • Belgrano A, Fowler CW (2008) Ecology for management: pattern-based policy. In: Munoz SI (ed) Ecology research progress. NOVA Science Publishers, Hauppauge, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Boulter M (2002) Extinction, evolution and the end of man. Columbia University Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Brooks DR, Wiley EO (1988) Evolution as entropy: toward a unified theory of biology. University of Chicago Press, Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown JH (1995) Macroecology. University of Chicago Press, Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  • Camazine S (2001) Self-organization in biological systems. Princeton University Press, Princeton

    Google Scholar 

  • Chew RM (1965) Water metabolism of mammals. In: Mayer WV, Van Gelder RG (eds) Physiological mammalogy, vol 2. Academic Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Christensen NL, Bartuska AM, Brown JH, et al (1996) The report of the Ecological Society of America Committee on the scientific basis for ecosystem management. Ecol Appl 6:665–691

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Colborn T, Dumanoski D, Myers JP (1997) Our stolen future: are we threatening our fertility, intelligence, and survival?: a scientific detective story. Penguin Group, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Ehrlich PR, Ehrlich AH (1996) Betrayal of science and reason. Island Press, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Encyclopædia Britannica (1977) Helen Hemingway Benton, Chicago

  • Etnier MA, Fowler CW (2005) Comparison of size selectivity between marine mammals and commercial fisheries with recommendations for restructuring management policies. U.S. Dep. Commer., NOAA Technical Memorandum, NMFS-AFSC-159. U.S. Dep. Commer., Natl. Tech. Inf. Serv., Springfield

  • Feely RA, Sabine CL et al (2004) Impact of anthropogenic CO2 on the CaCO3 system in the Oceans. Science 305:362–366

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fowler CW (1999) Management of multi-species fisheries: from overfishing to sustainability. ICES J Mar Sci 56:927–932

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fowler CW (2003) Tenets, principles, and criteria for management: the basis for systemic management. Mar Fish Rev 65:1–55

    Google Scholar 

  • Fowler CW (2005) Sustainability, health, and the human population. EcoHealth 2:58–69

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fowler CW, Crawford R (2004) Systemic management of fisheries in space and time: tradeoffs, complexity, ecosystems, sustainability. Biosph Conserv 6:25–42

    Google Scholar 

  • Fowler CW, Hobbs L (2002) Limits to natural variation: implications for systemic management. Anim Biodivers Conserv 25:7–46

    Google Scholar 

  • Fowler CW, Hobbs L (2003) Is humanity sustainable? Proc Roy Soc Lond B 270:2579–2583

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fowler CW, Perez MA (1999) Constructing species frequency distributions—A step toward systemic management. U.S. Dep. Commer., NOAA Tech Memo NMFS-AFSC-109. U.S. Dep. Commer., Natl. Tech. Inf. Serv., Springfield

  • Fowler CW, Smith TD (2004) Preface to the 2004 printing. In: Fowler CW, Smith TD (eds) Dynamics of large mammal populations. Blackburn Press, Caldwell

    Google Scholar 

  • Fowler CW et al (1999) Sustainability: empirical examples and management implications. In: Ecosystem approaches for fisheries management. University of Alaska Sea Grant Program, AK-SG-99-01, Fairbanks

  • Grumbine RE (1997) Reflections on “What is Ecosystem Management?” Conserv Biol 11:41–47

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heylighen F (2003) The science of self-organization and adaptivity. In: The encyclopedia of life support systems. Eloss Publshers, Oxford

  • Hobbs L, Fowler CW (2008) Putting humans in ecology: consistency in science and Management. Ambio (in press)

  • Hughes JB et al (1997) Population diversity: its extent and extinction. Science 278:689–692

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kowak RM (ed) (1991) Walker’s mammals of the world, 5th edn. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore

    Google Scholar 

  • Krebs CJ (1972) Ecology: the experimental analysis of distribution and abundance. Harper and Row, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Lubchenco J et al (1991) The sustainable biosphere initiative: an ecological research agenda. Ecology 72:371–412

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Macdonald D (ed) (1984) The encyclopedia of mammals. Facts On File Inc., New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Mangel M et al (1996) Principles for the conservation of wild living resources. Ecol Apps 6:338–362

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005a) Ecosystems and human well-being: synthesis. Island Press, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005b) Ecosystems and human well-being: biodiversity synthesis. World Resources Institute, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • Nash J (1950) Non-cooperative games. Ph.D. Dissertation, Mathematics Department, Princeton University, Princeton

  • National Research Council (1999) Sustaining marine fisheries. The National Academies Press, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • National Research Council (2004) Improving the use of “best scientific information available” standard in fisheries management. The National Academies Press, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • Nielsen SN (2000) Ecosystems as information systems. In: Jørgensen SE, Müller F (eds) Handbook of ecosystem theories and management. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton

    Google Scholar 

  • Pauley D, Christensen V, Dalsgaard J, Froese R, Torres F Jr (1998) Fishing down marine food webs. Science 279:860–863

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peters RH (1983) The ecological implications of body size. Cambridge University Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Pielou EC (1969) An introduction to mathematical ecology. John Wiley and Sons, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Postel SL, Daily GD, Ehrlich PR (1996) Human appropriation of renewable fresh water. Science 271:785–788

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ridgway SH, Harrison R (eds) (1981–1999) Handbook of marine mammals, vols 1–6. Academic Press, New York

  • Silver CS, DeFries RS (eds) (1990) One earth, one future: our changing global environment. National Academy Press, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • Solé RV, Bascompte J (2006) Self-organization in complex ecosystems. Princeton University Press, Princeton

    Google Scholar 

  • Thompson JN (2005) The geographic mosaic of coevolution. University of Chicago Press, Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  • Turner BL et al (1990) The earth as transformed by human action; global and regional changes in the biosphere over the past 300 years. Cambridge University Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Vitousek PM et al (1986) Human appropriation of the products of photosynthesis. Bioscience 36:368–373

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vitousek PM et al (1997) Human domination of Earth’s ecosystems. Science 277:494–499

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vörörsmarty CJ et al (2000) Global water resources: vulnerability from climate change and population growth. Science 289:284–288

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wackernagel M, Rees W (1996) Our ecological footprint: reducing human impact on the Earth. New Society Publishers, Gabriola Island, BC

    Google Scholar 

  • Walters C (1986) Adaptive management of renewable resources. Macmillan, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Walters C (1992) Perspectives on adaptive policy design in fisheries management. In: Jain SK, Botsford LW (eds) Applied population biology. Kluwer Academic, Dordrecht

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson EO (1985) The biological diversity crisis: a challenge to science. Issues Sci Technol 2:20–29

    Google Scholar 

  • Woodwell GM (ed) (1990) The earth in transition; patterns and processes of biotic impoverishment. Cambridge University Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • World Almanac and Book of Facts, 2004 (2004) World almanac and book of facts, 2004. World Almanac Books, Mahweh

  • World Conservation Monitoring Centre (1992) Global biodiversity. Chapman and Hall, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright DH (1990) Human impacts on energy flow through natural ecosystems, and implications for species endangerment. Ambio 19:189–194

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

I thank Gary Duker, Jean Fowler, James Lee, Robert Montgomery, Sue Moore, Jay Ver Hoef and several anonymous individuals for reviews and constructive comments on previous versions of this paper.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, 7600 Sand Point Way, N.E., Seattle, WA, 98115-6349, USA

    Charles W. Fowler

Authors
  1. Charles W. Fowler
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Charles W. Fowler.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Fowler, C.W. Maximizing biodiversity, information and sustainability. Biodivers Conserv 17, 841–855 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-008-9327-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-008-9327-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation