PARENT SESSION
Symposium #20: Restoring Natural Capital.
Organized by: J Aronson and E Higgs
Wednesday, August 7. 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM. Maricopa Meeting Room, TCC.
Integrative science: Gateway towards restoration based on five E's (Ecology, Economics, Energetics, Ethics, and Education.
Barrett, Gary*,1, 1 University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
ABSTRACT- Restoration or rehabilitation of landscapes will likely depend on the integration of five fields of study (which I term the five Es), namely ecology (after the Greek oikos meaning the study of natures house), economics (after the Greek nomics meaning management of natures house), energetics (the fuel or power transformations to perform the work within the house), ethics (promulgation of policy and management decisions based on moral principles and values), and education (employing knowledge and promoting development based on sound ecological theory and principles). As these five fields of knowledge merge, I predict that a new field of study which I term integrative science (Ecosystem Health, 2001, Vol. 7:79-84) will emerge based on this integrative process. This evolving field of study (possibly a paradigm) will result in emerging, integrative properties which will underpin a sustainable society and future. Integrative science must be transdisciplinary in scope and, therefore, should result in the emergence of C. P. Snows third culture. This integrative field of study will also, for the first time, integrate humankind with natures house at the landscape and noospheric scales.
KEY WORDS: Restoration ecology, Ethics, Ecological education, Landscape philosophy