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240 10 THE CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY
Sustainable development has three dimensions:
an ecological dimension
Sustainable development asks what limits need to be placed on industrialisation
in order to preserve natural resources. The object is to manage
and optimise utilisation of natural capital rather than squander it.
an economic dimension
With a view towards the present and future impacts of the economy on
the environment, this approach considers the choices involved e.g. in
financing and improving industrial technologies, as they relate to
natural resources.
a social and political dimension
Above all, sustainable development is an instrument of social cohesion
and a process of political choice. Priority should always be given to equitability
– between generations and among States. Any reconciliation of
environment and economy must stand up to this double imperative.
World War. Sustainable development means modifying production
methods and improving consumer habits, as well as changing the everyday
behaviour of individuals. In theory, if not necessarily in practice,
the Western model of development is no longer considered to be the unique
and necessary model for social development. Different forms of development
correspond to the diversity of situations and cultures in the world.
Sustainable development in agriculture is central to wise biodiversity
management. In practice, it is necessarily a compromise between what is
economically viable, technically possible, and ecologically acceptable.
Thus, in the 1960’s, cultivation of high-yield crops with intensive use of
fertilisers and pesticides achieved a considerable increase in productivity;
however, such progress proved detrimental to the environment and
biodiversity in certain regions. From the perspective of general management
of renewable resources, the goal is to conceive and implement
production systems that are better integrated in their environment and
maintain their ecological viability. This presupposes, among other things,
that cultivation systems become more diversified and that farmers devise