Browsing by Subject "Ecosystem"

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Ecosystemic Effect Indicators to assess Effects of agricultural Landuse on Ecosystems
(2000) Merkle, Andrea Hildegard; Kaupenjohann, Martin
Agricultural production and its material and non-material emissions may cause side-effects in ecosystems. These effects have to be assessed and evaluated. The aim of the present study is to provide a tool that relates emissions of agricultural production and affected ecosystems. This tool represents an indicator approach. The needed indicators are defined as ecosystemic effect indicators (EEI). Within the study a multistage procedure is developed which should be pursued in identifying indicators. To assess which emissions must be regarded in detail an estimation of relevance by means of an emission and input classification preceeds the indicator development. Subsequently, EEI are developed for the relevant emissions and inputs. The derivation of EEI is carried out by the following steps: 1) One starts top-down at the target 'maintaining the ecosystem functioning' in this work depicted by the utility functions. A list with characteristics that are dependent on hierarchical levels is compiled for each relevant function. 2) Starting at one specific input a list of potential receptors is compiled bottom-up. These represent potential effect indicators. 3) By overlapping the lists of the steps 1 and 2 one yields EEI specific for the utility function and the input under consideration. The step 3 is performed by means of expert knowledge. The advantage of the indicator approach is its operativeness which is site-independent. The results of the study show that EEI may be deemed to be promising tools to picture human influences in particular of agricultural production on ecosystems. The results of the case study provide the basis to assess effects on ecosystems for some major stressors. In cases where critical values are available site specific quantitative statements concerning ecological effects within the frame of sustainable agriculture are enabled by the present method for the derivation of indicators. Subsequently, necessary measures can be deduced
Ökosystem-Funktionen als Kriterium einer Operationalisierung ökologischer Aspekte von Nachhaltigkeit?
(2000) Doppler, Susanne Maria; Böcker, Reinhard
In recent times, against the background of system-theoretical principles, the description of ecosystems as complex, dynamic systems has been strongly promoted. Therefore the capacity of selforganization of ecosystems is strengthened to be integrated into environmental planning processes. The aim of the following work is to point out the limitations and possibilities given by the scientifically-based criterion 'ecosystem-functioning' in the context of sustainability. The investigations are based on a literature-supported analysis and a theoretical argument about the 'function of ecosystems' in relation to the concept of ecosystems. The results of this argument were submitted (1) to a scientific and science-theoretical analysis and criticism as well as considered in the light of (2) environmental protection issues and ethically relevant aspects of the description and observation of the natural world. The aim of this consideration was to establish to what extent the criterion 'ecosystem functioning' is suitable. The central question about limitations and possibilities of the application of the criterion is answered as follows: The criterion 'ecosystem functioning', formulated via system-theoretical principles of dynamic systems does not meet the requirements of both the natural and ethical issues given by the paradigm of sustainability. A possible alternative is to observe ecosystems and the criterion 'ecosystem-functioning' from a utilitarian position of anthroporelativism. The implementation of this perspective in the world of nature through the criterion 'ecosystem functioning' makes it possible (1) to integrate ethical issues of sustainability and (2) to maintain natural values as well as cultural ones in the countryside for this and future generations.