Ecosystem

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The natural balance is the totality of the interactions between all components of the environment and nature . The components of the environment are roughly divided into abiotic protection goods ( soil , water , air / climate ) and biotic protection goods ( humans , plants , animals , biotopes and biocenoses ). Landscape budget is used less often and sometimes synonymously or as a sub-term for natural budget. The term landscape budget refers to a spatially delimitable area of ​​the environment or a landscape.

The term is to be viewed from a legal point of view and is mostly used in connection with the efficiency of the natural balance as a basis for human existence. It cannot be clearly and completely recorded from a technical and theoretical point of view, but must be translated by the landscape planner for planning practice. Technical investigations are always decisive.

The ecological balance concept "implies an ecosystem view of the environment around us". The ecosystem functions can accordingly be equated with the ecosystem services . In order not to weaken or even lose the functionality of the natural balance, the preservation of biological diversity (so-called biodiversity ) is often necessary. Global environmental changes and future scenarios primarily take into account the anthropogenic influences on the natural balance of the earth. In 2017, over 15,000 scientists published an urgent warning to mankind , which proves that the global ecosystem is seriously endangered and the chances of its preservation are currently assessed negatively.

Concept history

The concept of the natural balance existed in philosophy for a long time before modern scientific ecology adapted and redefined it for itself.

The idea of ​​the household of nature goes on u. a. back to the biblical idea of ​​balance and harmony of individuals in the divine original state. Nature is seen as a household whose members live together in a self-sustaining harmonic system (Morgenthaler).

The founder of modern ecology Ernst Haeckel himself coined the term natural balance in today's scientifically applied ecology. Haeckel explained many interactions in nature with economic patterns: Organisms try to use the existing resources as profitably as possible and compete for abiotic and biotic resources. Against this background, Haeckel sees nature as a household in which expenses and profits are in balance. If the expenditure exceeds the income, the natural balance is disturbed.

Modern approaches in ecology question the postulated balance of nature and thus also the idea on which the natural balance is based. The German biologist Josef H. Reichholf advocates the thesis that imbalances are natural and that the idea of ​​a balanced budget is advocated by many ecologists for "ideological reasons".

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Konstanze Schönthaler, Felix Müller, Jan Barkmann (2003): Synopsis of approaches to systemic environmental research - German contributions to ecosystem management . Page 53
  2. ↑ William J. Ripple, Christopher Wolf, Thomas M. Newsome, Mauro Galetti, Mohammed Alamgir, Eileen Crist, Mahmoud I. Mahmoud, William F. Laurance and 15,364 life scientists from 184 countries: World Scientists' Warning to Humanity: A Second Notice . In: BioScience . tape 67 , no. 12 , 2017, p. 1026-1028 , doi : 10.1093 / biosci / bix125 .
  3. ↑ Erwin Morgenthaler: From the economy of nature to ecology. Erich Schmidt Verlag GmbH & Co KG, 2000, ISBN 9783503049622 restricted preview in the Google book search
  4. ↑ Reichholf (2008): Stable imbalances: The ecology of the future. Suhrkamp, ​​2008