Beyond Fundamental Ecology
Applied Ecology: Using ecological principles to maintain conditions necessary for the continuation of present day life on earth.
Industrial Ecology: The design of the industrial infrastructure such that it consists of a series of interlocking "technological ecosystems" interfacing with global natural ecosystems. Industrial ecology takes the pattern and processes of natural ecosystems as a design for sustainability. It represents a shift in paradigm from conquering nature to becoming nature.
Ecological Engineering: Unlike industrial ecology, the focus of Ecological Engineering is on the manipulation of natural ecosystems by humans for our purposes, using small amounts of supplemental energy to control systems in which the main energy drives are still coming from non-human sources. It is the design of new ecosystems for human purposes, using the self-organizing principles of natural ecosystems.
[Note: The popular definition of ecological engineering is "the design of human society with its natural environment for the benefit of both.". What is the logical flaw in this definition?]
Ecological Economics: Integrating ecology and economics in such a way that economic and environmental policies are reinforcing rather than mutually destructive.
Urban ecology: For ecologists, urban ecology is the study of ecology in urban areas, specifically the relationships, interactions, types and numbers of species found in urban habitats. Also, the design of sustainable cities, urban design programs that incorporate political, infrastructure and economic considerations.
Conservartion Biology: The application of diverse fields and disciplines to the conservation of biological diversity.
Restoration Biology: Appllication of ecosystem ecology to the restoration of deteriorated landscapes in an attempt to bring it back to its original state as much as possible. Example, prarie grass.
Landscape Ecology: “Landscape ecology is concerned with spatial patterns in the landscape and how they develop, with an emphasis on the role of disturbance, including human impacts” (Smith and Smith). It is a relatively new branch of ecology, that employs Global Information Systems. The goal is to predict the responses of different organisms to changes in landscape, to ultimately facilitate ecosystem management.
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All these disciplines require an understanding of the "organizing principles" of ecosystems, i.e., their ecology. This involves the detailed study of the structure and function of ecosystems in their undisturbed state, and using their designs to:
− determine the resilience of ecosystem functions to human activities.
− design ecosystems which function in the service of human beings with minimal fossil energy input (ideally
none) and minimal waste. − design the industrial infrastructure. − integrate the value of "goods and services" of natural ecosystems into the global economic system.
What is "Sustainability"?: There are many definitions of this one, depending on your perspective. Here’s ours: Sustainability is a property of a human society in which ecosystems (including humans) are managed such that the conditions supporting present day life on Earth can continue.
Ecology and The Future of Biology “However it is said, the future of biology lies not in the ongoing reduction of biology to molecular tidbits, but in studying biology in its essence; studying the organism and the environment as primary, not derived entities. Both, however, are facets of a single grand problem, the nature of biological organization. Such an emphasis brings to light an entirely different future for biology, one in which understanding the dynamic of the biosphere and the evolution and nature of cellular organization are central issues.”
Carl Woese 2006