Conservation and Sustainable Use of the Biosphere - WBGU

Spatial and temporal separation of biogeochemical conversion processes E 3.2
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(showers, air-conditioned rooms, sanitary facilities)
and are easily frightened (darkness, animals, noises),
prefer tidy parkland to ‘natural’ landscapes and prefer
indoor leisure pursuits to outdoor activities
(Bixler and Floys, 1997).
In spite of all the variation in the details, it can generally
be said that the perception of nature and landscapes,
with their aesthetic and emotional qualities,
fulfils important functions for human beings. These
qualities are elements of ‘belonging to a place’ and
‘place identity’ (Tuan, 1974; Proshansky and Fabian,
1987; Altman and Low, 1992). Experiencing nature
and natural pursuits as a source of recreation and
stress reduction are decisive for quality of life
(Kaplan, 1995).
E 3.1.5
Summary
• The terms ‘biological diversity’ and ‘biosphere’
have not gained great currency so far in everyday
usage, nor in the studies that have dealt with the
theme of ‘nature’.Although making an issue of the
destruction of nature is not a new phenomenon
per se, the extent, the speed and irreversibility of
the damage are new phenomena that could be
combated by developing a ‘biospheric perspective’,
incorporating acknowledgment of the need
to conserve biological diversity and, thus, the
establishment of sustainable development (Chapter
B).
• The prerequisites for the development of the
‘biospheric perspective’ are in place since there is
already a high degree of sensitization to damage
to the biosphere. But we must not expect this perspective
to be uniform in its details. On the contrary:
it has to leave scope for the images of nature
that exist in different cultures and subgroups.
• The selection and further development path of the
lifestyles concerned have to be left to the social
communities in question – taking account of certain
framework conditions, such as those provided
in AGENDA 21. In particular, the guiding principle
of social justice must also be taken into account
here (right to development, right to self-determination).
• On the other hand, ways also need to be found by
which cultures can learn from each other, such
that ‘highly developed cultures’ can learn from the
knowledge bases, potential for innovation and
practices of indigenous cultures.
• The necessary planning strategies (designation of
protected areas, habitat conservation, etc), should
include involvement of the relevant population
groups in order to prevent conflicts and to gain
acceptance (Section E 3.9).
E 3.2
Spatial and temporal separation of
biogeochemical turnover processes in ecosystems
As part of the planetary system, the biosphere not
only plays a major role in the composition of the
atmosphere, but also in the condition of soils, inland
waters and seas. Global biogeochemical cycles are
decisively influenced or even ‘controlled’ by the biosphere
(Section F 1). This complex tapestry of biogeochemical
cycles, energy flows and linked effects
developed in the evolutionary interaction between
development of organisms and their physical and
chemical environment over thousand millions of
years of the Earth’s history. By way of contrast,
human interventions in this system have only
reached dimensions that can be felt all over the world
in the last few decades and could, in future, lead to
serious disruptions to chains of processes with global
consequences. Examples of this are the conversion of
forests into fields and pasture or the emission of pollutants.
In particular, this section will deal with the
political challenges of the causes and effects of
regional – and, now, global – decoupling of biogeochemical
cycles by trade fluxes.
E 3.2.1
Biogeochemical cycles in ecosystems
With regard to biogeochemical fluxes in ecosystems,
the primary producers capable of photosynthesis and
the secondary producers reliant on organic matter as
an energy source as well as consumers and decomposers
act against each. On this basis, biogeochemical
turnover in the ecosystem can be described with the
following biogeochemical equation (Ulrich, 1994):
aCO 2
+ aH 2
O + xM + + yA - + (y-x)H + + Light ⇔
(CH 2
O) a
M x
A y
+ aO 2
+ Heat
where:
⇒ Photosynthesis, ion absorption and phytomass
production,
⇐ Respiration, decomposition and mineralization.
In this equation M + stands for the various cations
and A - for the anions; a, x and y are the extent of
the reaction.
The equation is based on the law of conservation of
matter and the principle of electron neutrality. From
the equation it can be seen that conversion of the
protons is associated with the conversion of the
cations and the anions, which can be calculated when