Relative and absolute scarcity of nature. Assessing the roles of economics and ecology for biodiversity conservation |
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| Institution: | 1. Beijing Aortic Disease Center, Beijing Institute of Heart, Lung and Blood Vessel Diseases and Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China;2. Department of Radiology, Beijing Institute of Heart, Lung and Blood Vessel Diseases and Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China;1. Department of Strategic Management and Marketing, Leicester Business School, De Montfort University, Hugh Aston 4.79, The Gateway, Leicester LE1 9BH, UK;2. Department of Strategic Management and Marketing, Leicester Business School, De Montfort University, Hugh Aston 5.96, The Gateway, Leicester LE1 9BH, UK;3. Section on Molecular Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Research Program, Bethesda, Maryland 20892;4. Office of the Scientific Director, National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Research Program, Bethesda, Maryland 20892;1. Meiji University, Environmental Law Centre of the Organization for the Strategic Coordination of Environmental Research, Tokyo, Japan;2. Keio University, Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, Japan, Endo 5322, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, 252-0882, Japan;3. UNE Business School and UNE Centre for Local Government, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia;4. University of Connecticut, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Center for Environmental Sciences & Engineering, University of Connecticut, 3107 Horsebarn Hill Road, Building 4 Annex, Storrs, CT, United States;5. Utah State University, Department of Sociology, Social Work & Anthropology, 0730 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT, United States;6. Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Institute of Socio-Economics, Eberswalder Str. 84, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany;7. BOKU University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Institute for Sustainable Economic Development/Regional Development Group, Vienna, Feistmantelstr. 4, 1180 Vienna, Austria |
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| Abstract: | Our aim in this essay is to identify and analyze some of the difficulties with interdisciplinary integration of economic and ecological contributions to the study of biodiversity loss. We develop our analysis from a widely accepted definition of economics which is based on the concept of scarcity. Taking a closer look at this notion, we find that economics actually limits itself to a very particular aspect of scarcity, which we denote as relative scarcity. We describe in what respect the economic approach towards biodiversity is based on this notion, and also reflect on the specific understanding of the relation of humans and nature behind the economic approach. We then turn to absolute scarcity as another notion of scarcity, and show that this is not within the scope of economics, but has been a theme of ecology and ecological economics. We describe in which way ecological and ecological–economic approaches towards biodiversity are based on the idea of absolute scarcity, and also reflect on the specific understanding of the human–nature relationship behind this notion of scarcity. Against this background, we discuss the roles of economics and ecology for nature conservation. We conclude that the interdisciplinary integration of ecology and economics requires a philosophical underpinning, and suggest a framework for further research. |
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