Identification of the Lagoon Ecosystems - Coastal Lagoons: Ecosystem Processes and Modeling for Sustainable Use and Development - page 12

The ecological hierarchy comprises two main hierarchical chains of ecological
systems that show a marked and evolving dichotomy in spatio-temporal development:

1. Self-maintained natural and seminatural ecological systems that provide
a wide range of natural resources and services
2. Human-dominated ecological systems that depend to varying degrees on
commercial auxiliary energy and material inflow (e.g., agriculture, aquac-
ulture) and human-made systems (e.g., urban ecosystems, industrial com-
plexes), which are totally dependent on commercial energy and material
inflow.

6,25,27

The divergent dynamics of these systems is the core of the so-called “ecological
crisis.” Thus, the ecological hierarchy integrates both the components of the NC and
those of the SES.
Accordingly, the term

in its broad meaning covers, on the one hand,
the components of NC together with their taxonomic and genetic diversity and, on
the other hand, human social organization, and ethnic, linguistic, and cultural
diversity.
Biodiversity consists of NC and social and cultural capital. It provides both the
EF that supports the SES with resources and services and the interface between
NC and the structure and metabolism of the “economic subsystem” ( Figure 2.4) .
It must be noted that, in order to make the transition from the current status of
a strong dichotomy between SES

biodiversity

NC to that of co-development, there is a need
to establish an internal balance between the economic subsystem and social and
cultural capital.
In the last decade a rapid shift has been observed from the sectoral, reductionistic,
and inappropriate temporal (months and years) and spatial scale approach toward a
holistic, adaptive, and long-term approach (decades and centuries). Systems analysis
and modeling are used more extensively for the identification and description of the
ecological systems (including SES) as large, complex, dissipative, and dynamic
systems.
However, the relationship between humans and nature more recently referred to
as a “development and environmental” relationship or “economy and ecology”
should be further reformulated. It should be recast as the mediated and dynamic
relationship at local, regional, and global scales between the structure and metabo-
lism of SES on one side, and the structure, productivity, and carrying capacity of
the natural, seminatural, and human-dominated systems (NC) on the other ( see
Chapter 8 for details).
The following conclusions are set forth:

⇔

1. Sustainability deals with co-development or balancing the dynamics of
the spatio-temporal relationship between SES and NC.
2. The principles of free market economy, which negatively limit NC from
contributing to SES, should be replaced by principles of “sustainable
market economy.” This will require identification of the overall dynamic
framework for co-development, according to the structure, productivity,