Not only that, but if you have read Ricklefs 2008, the Disintegration of the Ecological Community (Am. Nat 172:741 - DOI: 10.1086/593002), you might even realize that THAT ecosystem definition leaves a lot to be desired, especially the part "interacting as a functional unit."
Cheers, Jim Fabrice De Clerck wrote on 25-Jun-10 12:20: > Dear Friends, > > An environmental economist colleague of mine is disappointed with the CBD > definition of ecosystems which gives the impression that only pristine areas > are ecosystems. Can anyone point us to a more recent definition of ecosystems > that explicitly includes humans as an integral part of the definition? > > Here is the original question: > > The CBD defines ecosystems as a dynamic complex of plant, animal and > micro-organism communities and their non-living environment interacting as a > functional unit. > > I find this boring, as it leaves us humans, as special animals, out of the > picture. When you read it, it is easy to think of pristine environments. Has > there been any reaction or correction of this definition? I need an > authoritative quote that balances the CBD´s > > All reactions welcome, and citations welcome! > > Fabrice > ******************************************************** > Fabrice DeClerck PhD > Community and Landscape Ecologist > Division of Research and Development > CATIE 7170, Turrialba, Costa Rica 30501 > (506) 2558-2596 > [email protected] > > Adjunct Research Scholar > Tropical Agriculture Programs > The Earth Institute at Columbia University > ******************************************************** > > -- James J. Roper, Ph.D. Ecology, Evolution and Population Dynamics of Terrestrial Vertebrates ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Caixa Postal 19034 81531-990 Curitiba, Paraná, Brasil ------------------------------------------------------------------------ E-mail: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> Telefone: 55 41 36730409 Celular: 55 41 98182559 Skype-in (USA):+1 706 5501064 Skype-in (Brazil):+55 41 39415715 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ecology and Conservation at the UFPR <http://www.bio.ufpr.br/ecologia/> Home Page <http://jjroper.googlespages.com> James Roper's citations <http://www.mendeley.com/profiles/james-roper1/> In Google Earth, copy and paste -> 25 31'18.14" S, 49 05'32.98" W ------------------------------------------------------------------------
