Biodiversity, ecosystem function, and resilience: ten guiding principles for commodity production landscapes

Publikation: Beiträge in ZeitschriftenÜbersichtsarbeitenForschung

Authors

Biodiversity conservation in forestry and agricultural landscapes is important because (1) reserves alone will not protect biodiversity; (2) commodity production relies on vital services provided by biodiversity; and (3) biodiversity enhances resilience, or a system's capacity to recover from external pressures such as droughts or management mistakes. We suggest ten guiding principles to help maintain biodiversity, ecosystem function, and resilience in production landscapes. Landscapes should include structurally characteristic patches of native vegetation, corridors and stepping stones between them, a structurally complex matrix, and buffers around sensitive areas. Management should maintain a diversity of species within and across functional groups. Highly focused management actions may be required to maintain keystone species and threatened species, and to control invasive species. These guiding principles provide a scientifically defensible starting point for the integration of conservation and production, which is urgently required from both an ecological and a long-term economic perspective.

OriginalspracheEnglisch
ZeitschriftFrontiers in Ecology and the Environment
Jahrgang4
Ausgabenummer2
Seiten (von - bis)80-86
Anzahl der Seiten7
ISSN1540-9295
DOIs
PublikationsstatusErschienen - 03.2006