Conservation and Sustainable Use of the Biosphere - WBGU

Preserving the regulatory functions of the biosphere J 1.5
369
sphere should be promoted. A wide range of
dynamically linked model approaches and a hierarchy
of models should be cultivated and developed
further, both nationally and at European
level.
• Landscape diversity seems necessary for the efficient
functioning of ecosystem complexes, also
with respect to global regulatory capacity. It
should be investigated how great landscape diversity
has to be in order to fulfil the biogeochemical
functions and what significance the fragmentation
of the ecosystem has for the regulative function of
the global biosphere.
• The hypothesis of functional similarity of primary
producers (on the basis of redundancies and compensations
inherent to the system) with regard to
global biogeochemical cycles for carbon, nutrients
and water must be verified.
• The economic appraisal of global regulative functions
of the biosphere is an interesting and important
challenge for researchers (Section J 3.2.3).
Management
Research needs to be conducted into the fundamental
opportunities and limitations of targeted human
interventions on global biogeochemical cycles and
energy flows as elements of the planetary metabolism.
The conceptual model of conscious ‘global biogeoengineering’
is only reflected so far in certain
hypothetical experiments on the modification or stabilization
of carbon sinks and sources and real
attempts at iron fertilization of the sea, but a deeper
understanding of this ‘Earth System management’ is
essential – even if only to be better able to analyse
the consequences of unintended human intervention
in the Earth System.
• In this context, structural studies on the interaction
of a number of homeostatic regulative mechanisms
with various characteristics and scales (both
in time and space) are particularly important.
• Also significant is the analysis of individual regulative
processes with regard to their dynamic structures
and resilience limits. For instance, there is
still little understanding of the role the biosphere
plays in the (global) hydrological cycle, its influence
on the structure and distribution of clouds
and thus also on the Earth’s climate.
Status and trends
Monitoring and early warning systems for the terrestrial
and marine biosphere should be developed in
particular for criticality hotspots (such as: Northern
Ocean, Section F 5).
Threat
The functions of certain biogeographical regions for
the Earth System (global biogeochemical cycles and
energy flows) should be evaluated with regard to
their individual importance, effect and resilience.The
following points in particular should be borne in
mind:
• The construction of global maps on the criticality
of geographical regions in relation to biogeochemical
cycles is particularly important research that
should be pursued further as a matter of urgency
(Section F 5.4.1).
• Increased research into critical thresholds is necessary
in order to be better able to define guard rails
for climate change and for intervention in biogeochemical
cycles.
• The possible limits to fragmentation of natural
ecosystems should be studied. This includes study
of the changed impact of fragmented ecosystems
on different local processes (hydrological cycle,
erosion, etc) and the changed resilience limits that
result.