Ecological and Evolutionary Processes

Abstract

Abstract Because many of the natural resources we harvest are the products of ecosystems, overexploitation of these resources can degrade the ecological and evolutionary processes that sustain these ecosystems. Loss of species and genetic diversity from unsustainable resource extraction removes the natural variation upon which natural selection operates to allow evolutionary change, and without which the earth’s biota may no longer be able to adapt to human-induced or natural environmental changes. Sustainable resource extraction ensures not only that future human generations will enjoy these resources, but also that the ecosystems that generate these resources will maintain the capacity to do so as Earth’s environments change. INTRODUCTION Natural resources, whether renewable like forests or fi sheries, or non-renewable like crude oil or minerals, have provided generations of human beings with food, shelter, and spiritual or aesthetical enjoyment. Unfortunately, these resources are too often being destroyed or extracted at unsustainable rates. Only when we begin responsibly man-aging our resources within an ecosystem framework that considers long-term social good will we achieve some equilibrium between extraction and conservation.