Ecological Guidelines for Land Use and Management
Document Type
Contribution to Book
Journal/Book Title/Conference
Applying Ecological Principles to Land Management
Editor
Virginia H. Dale, Richard A. Haeuber
Publisher
Springer
Publication Date
2001
First Page
3
Last Page
33
Abstract
During the past few millennia, humans have emerged as the major force of change around the globe. The large environmental changes wrought by our actions include modification of the global climate system, reduction in stratospheric ozone, alteration of the earth's biogeochemical cycles, changes in the distribution and abundance of biological resources, and decreasing water quantity and quality (Meyer and Turner 1994; IPCC 1996; Mahlman 1997; Vitousek et al. 1997). One of the most pervasive aspects of human-induced change involves the widespread transformation of land through efforts to provide food, shelter, and products for our use. Land transformation is perhaps the most profound result of human actions because it affects so many of the planet's physical and biological systems (Kates et al. 1990). In fact, land-use changes directly impact the ability of the earth to continue providing the goods and services upon which humans depend.
Recommended Citation
Dale, V.H. et al. (2001). Ecological Guidelines for Land Use and Management. In: Dale, V.H., Haeuber, R.A. (eds) Applying Ecological Principles to Land Management. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0099-1_1