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.
Economic sustainability and restoration.
CLEWELL, ANDRE*,1, 1 A. F. Clewell, Inc., Quincy, Florida
ABSTRACT- Economies everywhere depend on the accrual of natural services from natural areas that consist of intact functional ecosystems. The importance of natural services is substantial. Their economic worth is estimated to be nearly double that of the gross world product. The more natural areas we have, the more natural services we receive. The only effective strategy for augmenting our inventory of natural areas is to restore ecosystems that have been degraded, damaged, or destroyed. Functional ecosystems can be restored everywhere to the point that they provide needed natural services in a sustainable manner. The application of restoration to increase natural services has not been seriously entertained, however, the potential for doing so is seemingly unlimited. In this regard, ecological restoration could become the decisive strategy for approaching the illusive goal of global economic sustainability.
KEY WORDS: Economics, Sustainability