The Total Human Ecosystem: Integrating Ecology and Economics

Abstract

This special issue of BioScience is devoted the chal­ lenge of integrating ecology and economics. The English term integration stems from the Latin root integrare;' which means to make whole. Both ecol­ ogy and economy have their etymological roots in the Greek term oikos;' which means house:' But whereas ecology deals with the study of the of nature­ that is, the interrelations between its living and nonliving components (including humans)-economics deals with the management and the stewardship of the of humans;' specifically, with their production and distribu­ tion of wealth. With their intellectual and scientific roots in the natural sciences, on the one hand, and the social sci­ ences, on the other, the two disciplines differ distinctly in their aims and scope. It may not yet be possible fuse the two disciplines together into a superscience;' but the cur­ rent ecological crisis shows clearly that it is not possible efficiently manage the house of humans while neglecting the house of nature. In this house of nature, humans have become a dominating component after modifying and using approximately 95% of the not yet urbanized land area (Pimentel et al. 1992). It is therefore obvious that, for the sake of global survival and human welfare, ecologists and economists have cooperate closely in local, region­ al, and global research and development projects. A useful platform for such cooperation was provided by the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (the Earth Summit) in Rio de Janeiro. This conference resulted in Agenda 21, which provides guidelines for sustainable development. According these guideliI?-es, both ecological and economic stewardship of the natural resources should be mobilized so as sustain their stock for future generations. For this goal be achieved, economists must realize that sustainable devel­ opment should not be reduced simply economic growth, and ecologists must realize that sustainable devel­ opment is more than ecological sustainability. It means, above all, the improvement of the quality of human life in all of its multiple dimensions for the common good of the future of the planet. Such a transdisciplinary goal requires not only the close partnership of ecologists and economists, but also the