Ecoinformatics and Soil-Plant Formations - New Ecoinformatics Tools in Environmental Science: Applications and Decision-making - page 642

finally, it is clear that there are now numerous signs of anthropogenically
caused degradation of ecosystems and their reduced ability to function as systems
of life support and control of the environmental properties. The data discussed
above show that all the ecosystems considered suffer serious and increasing
anthropogenic forcings. Intensive processes of transformation of natural ecosystems
take place due to deforestation, pollution (with biogenes, including), dams building
and biological intrusions of alien organisms. Anthropogenic forcings result in
considerable transformations of the global biogeochemical cycles, whose normal
functioning is a guarantee of the ecosystems

And

safety.
So far, the negative trends of the state of the global ecosystems do not vividly
threaten the high levels of production of various products and services. The food
and

'

fibre production has never reached such high levels as nowadays, but the dam
constructions have ensured an unprecedented regulation of the river run-off to
provide the water use in the interests of agriculture. However, the progress in
creating the material well-being is fraught with a long-term prospect of reduction of
productivity of the global ecosystems and their reduced ability to regulate the
environmental quality. The use of new technical means and technologies such as
synthetic fertilizers, improved means of

fishing, and irrigation systems has masked a
decrease of bioproductivity of natural ecosystems, ensuring a needed growth of
food and fibre production. As for the long-term prospects (in this context the

sustainable development is defined), one should remember a reduced functioning of
natural systems of life support, which manifests itself, for instance, in the form of a
dangerous decrease of biodiversity, reduced quality of drinking water, intensive
emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and many other negative
phenomena.
The ecosystem approach has the following main features:

1. Complex (systematic) character of analysis of interactions in the “ society nat-

-

system;
2. Not fragmentary but integral analysis of the ecosystems

ure ”

functioning;
3. Consideration of all the spatial-temporal diversity of the processes with the
indispensable priority of long-term prospects;
4. A detailed consideration of interactive processes in the

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“ society nature ” system;

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5. Justi cation and accounting of the limits of the normal functioning of ecosys-

tems, and in this connection, permissible anthropogenic loads.

The Table 8.3 data illustrate the differences between traditional and ecosystem
approaches to the use of natural resources as applied to forestry. Of course,
advantages of the ecosystem approach raise no doubts. However, the problem is to
what extent the conditions of the socio-economic development of either country
permit a successive realization of the ecosystem approach. The negative manifes-
tations of the dynamics of various ecosystems re fl ect vividly great (sometimes

insurmountable) dif culties to realize the ecosystem approach. As far as this is

concerned, the participants of the PAGES project have formulated the following
general recommendations: