| Short abstract: |
RUBICODE is a pan-European project that is reviewing and developing concepts of dynamic ecosystems and the services they provide. These services include the provision of food, fibre and fuel, regulation of air and water quality, flood protection, erosion control, pollination, pest control, recreation, ecotourism and many others. Those compo-nents of biodiversity which provide specific services to society are being defined and evaluated in order to increase our understanding of their value and, consequently, of the cost of losing them. This will give decision-makers a more rational base for halting biodiversity loss by shaping adequate conservation policies. Nature is fundamentally dynamic, as are the pressures of human activities on biodiversity, yet most conservation strategies focus on protected areas and are still developed around a static view of nature. RUBICODE is developing innovative concepts for conservation strategies that concentrate on managing dynamic ecosystems for maintaining their capacity to undergo disturbance, while retaining their functions, services and control mechanisms (ecological resilience). |
