THE FUTURE OF BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY: A LAMENT OR HUNGARIAN RHAPSODY?

2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
ROWAN MARTIN
Keyword(s):  
Biological Diversity ◽  
The Future

THE FUTURE OF CORPORATE REPORTING REFLECTIONS ON THE CRITICAL QUESTION OF THE NECESSITY OF FORWARD-THINKING PHILOSOPHY AND CULTURE OF REPORTING WORLDWIDE

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 1455-1466
Author(s):  
Hristina Oreshkova
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Radical Change ◽  
Green Economy ◽  
Critical Question ◽  
Corporate Reporting ◽  
Global Problems ◽  
The Future ◽  
Strategic Goals

Over the most recent decades corporate reporting has proved to be essential to achieving the strategic goals of humankinds and the ever-increasing necessity of truthful information and transparency. Corporate reporting is a socially significant process and practice. The quality of corporate reporting reflects the degree of relevance of the manner enterprises and businesses communicate with the surrounding world and environment (natural or industrial) and millions of people concerned – societies, present and future generations, employees, workers, and many other people, and other living beings. On most authoritative international scientific forums – symposia, conferences, congresses, assemblies, summit meetings and events, conducted in Europe and worldwide, it is pompously declared that corporate reporting should provide useful and reliable information both financial and non-financial one. The responsibilities of accountability and stewardship seem out to be of great importance to the fulfillment of the strategic goals of our centuries.The belief of the author is that the simultaneous analysis of the global problems challenging humankinds such as climate changes, destruction of biological diversity on the Planet, the matter of the necessity of actions of creating Green Ethics and Green Economy worldwide, the increasing need for combined and well-coordinated efforts in the combat supporting the eradication of poverty globally, and the relevance of corporate reporting to solving these unique problems the mankind is facing, would highlight and confirm their intricate interrelation (the key aim of the present research), consequently rendering the debate on the future of corporate reporting more meaningful and constructive. The debate would most probably promote the standpoint we personally maintain, which is also endorsed by an increasing number of supporters in Europe and around the world, implying in particular that apart from a process of unification and reduction of essential differences in the international financial reporting, what is also necessary is the radical change in the philosophy and culture of corporate reporting and presentation. Undeniably, it includes revealing of the financial state and the substantial effects and impacts of the businesses operating activities in a straightforward manner, as complete insights and understanding of the broader and far-reaching goals to which the corporate reporting must be subordinated – at present and in the long-lasting future.

HUMAN VALUES AND BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY: ARE WE WASTING OUR TIME?

1994 ◽  
Vol 126 (3) ◽  
pp. 471-474
Author(s):  
Max W. McFadden ◽  
J. Kathy Parker
Keyword(s):  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Human Values ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Future

AbstractThe issue of biodiversity is examined from the viewpoint of human values and three questions are posed: What kinds of human values affect biological diversity? Why do humans think about the loss and conservation of biological diversity? Does it really matter? The conclusion is that human values are contributing to the loss of biological diversity and could lead to massive extinctions in the future just as major natural events did in the past. However, as it did in the past, evolution will continue, so will speciation, and so will biological diversity.

scholarly journals Future Generations of the Humanity in the Constitutional Law Regulation System

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 41-45
Author(s):  
Igor V. Irkhin ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Russian Federation ◽  
Constitutional Law ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Financial Burden ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
Regulation System ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
Theory Of Law ◽  
Law Regulation

The article reviews the issues related to the determination of the legal position of the future generations of the humanity in the constitutional law regulation system based on the methodological framework of the theory of law, international law, constitutional law. The author emphasizes that the regulation is usually carried out from the perspective of general approaches to human rights and in a narrower scope of the issues of environmental protection, financial burden imposed on the future generations of the humanity. Special attention is paid to legislative approaches applied in the Russian Federation (including on the level of constituent entities of the Russian Federation, municipal structures) in respect of the future generations of the humanity. It is stated that the regulation is performed in the matters of ecology, biological diversity, culture, architecture, urban development, economics, social sphere, healthcare, archiving. The future generations of the humanity are mostly understood as non-born citizens (residents) of our country.

scholarly journals Illumina-based identification of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi from Karachay-Cherkessia soils for development of bio-fertilizers

2021 ◽  
Vol 285 ◽  
pp. 03001
Author(s):  
Andrey Yurkov ◽  
Alexey Kryukov ◽  
Yulia Mikhaylova ◽  
Peter Zhurbenko
Keyword(s):  
Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Arbuscular Mycorrhizal ◽  
Its Region ◽  
Am Fungi ◽  
Illumina Miseq ◽  
Universal Primers ◽  
Its2 Region ◽  
North Caucasus ◽  
The Future

The aim of the study was to investigate the species diversity of AM fungi in different parts of the North Caucasus, biodiversity hotspot, the center of the world’s biological diversity. Samples were taken from 5 locations (stationary trial plots, STPs) in different ecosystems and at various altitudes. Identification was performed using sequencing for ITS1 and ITS2 regions, amplified with universal primers, Illumina MiSeq was employed. 19 genera of AM fungi were found on all STPs. The work did not reveal a correlation between the altitude and the species composition of AM fungi. At the same time, it should be assumed that a correlation could be found between the biodiversity of AM fungi and the type of ecosystem, which should be done in the future. The study shows it is necessary to use an analysis for both ITS regions, since the data obtained for each ITS region differ and complement each other. Analysis for the ITS2 region revealed 1.3 times more virtual taxa than for the ITS1, while the number of OTUs identified per species was similar for both regions. The highest biodiversity of AM fungi was found in STP #3 (with meadow flora). Only 4 species (Rhizophagus irregularis, R. intraradices, Paraglomus laccatum, and Claroideoglomus claroideum) were found on all five analyzed STPs. We found unexpectedly that with such a high biodiversity among the identified fungi, no different species were found in the Paraglomus genus, all the sequences of Paraglomus belonged to Paraglomus laccatum, whereas at least 9 species are distinguished in the genus by morphology. Further research will allow us to identify new strains of AM fungi, the efficiency of which may be higher than already studied ones. In the future this will make it possible to create more effective microbial biofertilizers for agriculture.

scholarly journals Long- and Short-Term Inorganic Nitrogen Runoff from a Karst Catchment in Austria

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1112
Author(s):  
Thomas Dirnböck ◽  
Heike Brielmann ◽  
Ika Djukic ◽  
Sarah Geiger ◽  
Andreas Hartmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitrate Leaching ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Inorganic Nitrogen ◽  
C Sequestration ◽  
N Deposition ◽  
Forest Stand ◽  
Karst Water ◽  
Inorganic N ◽  
The Future ◽  
Karst Catchment

Excess nitrogen (N) deposition and gaseous N emissions from industrial, domestic, and agricultural sources have led to increased nitrate leaching, the loss of biological diversity, and has affected carbon (C) sequestration in forest ecosystems. Nitrate leaching affects the purity of karst water resources, which contribute around 50% to Austria’s drinking water supply. Here we present an evaluation of the drivers of dissolved inorganic N (DIN) concentrations and fluxes from a karst catchment in the Austrian Alps (LTER Zöbelboden) from 27 years of records. In addition, a hydrological model was used together with climatic scenario data to predict expected future runoff dynamics. The study area was exposed to increasing N deposition during the 20th century (up to 30 to 35 kg N ha−1 y−1), which are still at levels of 25.5 ± 3.6 and 19.9 ± 4.2 kg N ha−1 y−1 in the spruce and the mixed deciduous forests, respectively. Albeit N deposition was close to or exceeded critical loads for several decades, 70–83% of the inorganic N retained in the catchment from 2000 to 2018, and NO3- concentrations in the runoff stayed <10 mg L−1 unless high-flow events occurred or forest stand-replacing disturbances. We identified tree growth as the main sink for inorganic N, which might together with lower runoff, increase retention of only weakly decreasing N deposition in the future. However, since recurring forest stand-replacement is predicted in the future as a result of a combination of climatically driven disturbance agents, pulses of elevated nitrate concentrations in the catchment runoff will likely add to groundwater pollution.

State of the States: Geographic Patterns of Diversity, Rarity, and Endemism

2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey A. Hammerson ◽  
Larry E. Morse
Keyword(s):  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Dominant Role ◽  
Fish Fauna ◽  
The Future ◽  
Ecological Patterns ◽  
History Of ◽  
Mammal Assemblages ◽  
Southern Florida ◽  
Alaskan Tundra ◽  
Natural Boundaries

The natural geography of the 50 states varies tremendously, supporting an equally varied suite of wild species—from flocks of tropical birds in southern Florida to caribou migrations across the Alaskan tundra. The geography of risk, too, varies across the nation, reflecting the interaction between natural and human history. Similarly, present-day land and water uses will largely determine the future diversity and condition of the flora and fauna. We can learn much, though, from looking at the current condition of a state’s biota, since this both reflects the past and helps illuminate the future. A state’s ecological complexion and the evolutionary history of its biota are the primary determinants of its biological diversity. These environmental factors have encouraged spectacular diversification in many regions: for instance, the freshwater fish fauna in the Southeast, the magnificent conifers along the Pacific cordillera, and the small mammal assemblages of the arid Southwest. Conversely, geological events such as the expansion and contraction of the ice sheets have left other areas of the country with a more modest array of species. States, however, are artificial constructs laid out on the landscape’s natural ecological patterns. While some state lines follow natural boundaries, such as shorelines or major rivers, most cut across the land with no sensitivity to natural features or topography. Nonetheless, urban and rural dwellers alike identify with the major ecological regions within which they live, and this is often the source of considerable pride. Montana is “big sky country,” referring to the vast open plains that sweep up against the eastern phalanx of the Rocky Mountains. California’s moniker “the golden state” now refers more to its tawny hills of summer—unfortunately at present composed mostly of alien species—than to the nuggets first found at Sutter’s Creek. Maryland, home of the Chesapeake Bay, offers the tasty blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) as its unofficial invertebrate mascot. The list could go on, evidenced by the growing number of states that offer vanity license plates celebrating their natural environment. Natural features have always played a dominant role in determining patterns of settlement and land use.

5. The geography of biological diversity

2020 ◽  
pp. 91-116
Author(s):  
Mark V. Lomolino
Keyword(s):  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Cellular Level ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Levels Of Organization ◽  
The Future ◽  
Isolated Systems

How are we to comprehend all of nature’s diversity from the cellular level up through all taxonomic, biological, and ecological levels of organization? “The geography of biological diversity” focuses on the measures and meaning of biological diversity, and the general patterns across the principal geographic dimensions (e.g. latitude, area and isolation) which allow us to visualize it. Hotspots of diversity are concentrated in tropical regions, especially in large, topographically complex and isolated systems. Our exploration of these hotspots, and the patterns governing how rich and which types of species inhabit them, may provide key insights for attempts to conserve biological diversity long into the future.

scholarly journals Reflecting on the Role of the Arctic Council vis-à-vis a Future International Legally Binding Instrument on Biodiversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (0) ◽  
pp. 189
Author(s):  
Vito De Lucia ◽  
Philip Peter Nickels
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Council ◽  
Ocean Governance ◽  
The Future ◽  
National Jurisdiction ◽  
General Assembly Resolution

Negotiations are ongoing to develop an international legally binding instrument (ILBI) under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ). If adopted, the ILBI will likely apply to parts of the Arctic Ocean where the Arctic Council has played an important role for ocean governance. This begs the question of what role the Arctic Council will play vis-à-vis a future ILBI, which is envisioned to “not undermine existing relevant legal instruments and frameworks and relevant global, regional and sectoral bodies” (UN General Assembly Resolution 72/249). Against this backdrop, this article reflects on the future relationship between the Arctic Council and the ILBI. In so doing, the article initially discusses possible meanings of the notion of not undermining and, more broadly, how the ILBI will likely determine its institutional relationship with relevant bodies for BBNJ. Based on that, the article provides a short overview of the role of the Arctic Council in Arctic Ocean governance and explores whether the Arctic Council would qualify as a relevant regional body that shall not be undermined by the future ILBI.

The Future of the Shortgrass Steppe

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingrid C. Burke ◽  
William K. Lauenroth
Keyword(s):  
Tallgrass Prairie ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Shortgrass Steppe ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Grassland Ecosystems ◽  
The Future ◽  
One Year

Where lies the future of the shortgrass steppe? In prior chapters we have described the remarkable resilience of the shortgrass steppe ecosystem and its organisms to past drought and grazing, and their sensitivity to other types of change. Emerging from this analysis is the idea of vulnerability to two main forces: future changes in precipitation or water availability, and direct human impacts. What are the likely changes in the shortgrass steppe during the next several decades? Which of the changes are most likely to affect major responses in the plants, animals, and ecosystem services of the shortgrass steppe? In this chapter we evaluate the current status of the shortgrass steppe and its potential responses to three sets of factors that will be driving forces for the future of the steppe: land-use change, atmospheric change, and changes in diseases. Referring to the early 1900s, James Michener in his novel Centennial (1974) wrote the following:… The old two-part system that had prevailed at the end of the nineteenth century— rancher and irrigator—was now a tripartite cooperation: the rancher used the rougher upland prairie; the irrigation farmer kept to the bottom lands; and the drylands gambler plowed the sweeping 0 eld in between, losing his seed money one year, reaping a fortune the next, depending on the rain. It was an imaginative system, requiring three different types of man, three different attitudes toward life. . . . (p. 1081)… Even today, because of the strong water limitation for cropping, the shortgrass steppe remains relatively intact, or at least unplowed, in contrast to other grassland ecosystems (Samson and Knopf, 1994). More than half of the shortgrass steppe remains in untilled, landscape-scale tracts, compared with only 9% of tallgrass prairie and 39% of mixed-grass prairie (The Nature Conservancy, 2003). These large tracts, including those in the national grasslands (Pawnee, Cimarron, Comanche, and Kiowa/Rita Blanca), provide the greatest opportunity for preserving key ecological processes and biological diversity.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document