Viability

In the age of globalization, with its rapid explosion of technology, communication, economic activity, and their visible impact on global resources and pollution, environmental awareness has grown. This has led to the recognition that the viability of the world's ecosystems has become a critical development priority. Hitherto, the world?s ecosystems have been , by and large exploited and plundered without regard to their continuity. The dominant view has been that, we take what we can from nature and disregard the consequences of such action.

Critical problems have, however, began to emerge. We are now very apprehensive as to whether these systems can carry humans at the present explosive growth of their activity. As we shall observe during the next few articles, the evidence of a fraying web of life, and the degeneration of the world's ecosystems has grown exponentially in recent times.

The remarkable thing about all this, is how obvious it is. We can take no comfort from this fact however. Painfully, we have come to realize that in relation to the sustainability of life on planet earth, the truth remains that the most difficult decision of all is to acknowledge the obvious.

Economic activity and the production of goods and services are derived from ecosystems. Obvious as this is, our methods of economic accounting and measurement generally ignore the condition of these ecosystems. We measure output and economic activity in terms of the goods and services the ecosystems make possible. But we do not account for any wastage or destruction of this system as we undertake these activities. This naturally, encourages waste and destruction.

Ecosystems

A good starting point in considering these issues is to understand clearly what is meant by the term ecosystems. Simply put, they are communities of interaction between living organisms and the physical environment in which these organisms live. Ecosystems are woven together through innumerable chains, linkages and connections. As the saying goes, ecosystems are 'living sums greater than their parts.' This I believe sums it up well, as it captures the links and synergies which ecosystems make possible.

In Guyana there are ecosystems all around us. These systems constitute the places where we, as living organisms, live, cultivate the land for food, provide wood for housing, water for drinking, and offer entertainment and relaxation, as when we go on picnics. From this description it is obvious that ecosystems vary in size, from the very minuscule to the global. In practice, however, we use the term to describe larger systems, which we can categorize and easily identify. Thus we speak in Guyana of coastal, riverain and hinterland regions or ecosystems.

Recognizing that these distinct categories of ecosystems exist in Guyana, shows that they are all linked together. That is, they are both separate and together at the same time! This is the remarkable feature of ecosystems. This feature makes them very complex and dynamic phenomena. This complexity and dynamic potential are essential to their ability to sustain life.

Monitoring

In light of what has been said so far, one would have imagined that the systematic monitoring of the ecosystems and environment would be among the highest national priorities. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Rich and poor countries alike, monitor their ecosystems poorly. So much so, that the Report referred to in the title of this article was designed to provide a basic comprehensive global report on Earth's ecosystems to commemorate the New Millennium. The Report was based on a first?of?its?kind Pilot Analysis of Global Ecosystems Conditions undertaken in 1999.

While the available data on ecosystems generally is weak and deficient, the quality of what does exist is very uneven across countries. Not surprisingly, the data on poor countries are far worse than those for the rich. This makes it is difficult therefore, on the bases of existing knowledge, to paint an accurate picture of Earth's ecosystems. Studies, such as that referred to above would, however, tell us what needs to be done. In telling us what needs to be done, such studies support advocacy for corrective actions.