Sustainable Development
Encyclopedia of Ecology
Format:
Book Chapter
Publication Date:
2008/01/01/
Publisher:
Academic Press
Place of Publication:
Oxford
Pages:
3443 - 3446
Sources ID:
86366
Visibility:
Public (group default)
Abstract:
(Show)
Humanity has reached a defining moment in that unless it makes a transition to live sustainably and in harmony with nature, it will put at risk its own future and that of the Earth’s ecology and the diversity of the biological resources. Humans cannot exist without the biodiversity inherent in a healthy environment. Natural diversity comprises a web of interdependent ecosystems, species, populations, and genes that, in combination, create an enabling environment for the provision of nutritious food, clean water, and fresh air, essential for a sustaining environment.