ECOLOGY AND HUMAN-DOMINATED ECOSYSTEMS: A PHILOSOPHICAL STUDY

生态学和人类主导的生态系统：一项哲学研究

• 批准号: 0522075
• 负责人: Mark Sagoff
• 金额: $ 6万
• 依托单位: University of Maryland, College Park
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-01-01 至 2006-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0522075&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: ECOLOGY; HUMAN; DOMINATED; ECOSYSTEMS; PHILOSOPHICAL

The research proposed here considers as a philosophical question whether and how ecological science may apply to human-dominated ecosystems. The project will analyze different answers ecologists may give to the question whether the objects of ecological theory ("ecosystems," "communities," "lakes," "forests," etc.) consist paradigmatically in relatively "pristine" sites or whether they include as well any interacting assemblage of living things in its physical environment. If the former, ecologists may regard humanity as external to ecosystem structure and as likely to disturb it. If the latter, ecologists may study human-dominated ecosystems as unexceptional objects of research, including human activity in the normal functioning of ecosystems. Many ecologists recognize that most or all places they may study include the consequences of human influence and activity rather than simply or primarily the results of nature's spontaneous course. The proposed research examines the conceptual and normative consequences associated with various choices ecologists may make insofar as they move the focus of their research from relatively "pristine" to human-influenced or dominated ecosystems. Many ecologists have sought to identify general models or principles (such as rules that correlate with ecosystem structure, function or assembly) that would constitute a core theory and distinguish ecology from other often more inductive or historical biological and environmental sciences. These rules, principles, and models, however, traditionally were thought to apply to "natural" communities or ecosystems. If ecologists study the same human-dominated sites as other environmental sciences (including agronomy, veterinary science, plant breeding, silviculture, aquaculture, etc.), it may no longer be as clear how ecology differs from them. The proposed research will analyze various options open to ecologists in determining how the knowledge and insights they seek in studying human-dominated ecosystems may differ from or add to the knowledge or understanding associated with environmental sciences used to create or manage those systems. The proposed research will contribute to an emerging literature on the philosophy of ecology. This literature, described in the proposal, provides a solid foundation, and a useful foil, for the conceptual and normative analysis proposed here. The intellectual merit of the proposed research will depend, of course, on the care and clarity that characterize the normative and conceptual analyses it undertakes. Indicators of likely success may be found in the track record of the PI in: publishing analytical books and articles in related areas of environmental ethics, law, and policy; drawing on the advice of ecologists, environmental policy makers, and philosophical students of ecology; and, commenting on the literature in the field. Public policies for, and courses taught about, the conservation of nature often rely on ecological concepts such as biodiversity, ecosystem stability, resilience, productivity, integrity, and so on. These concepts were developed in the context of an ecological science directed primarily toward relatively "pristine" or "natural" ecosystems. The proposed research will examine the normative consequences for concepts of conservation that may follow insofar as ecological science includes rather than excludes human influence and activity in the sites it studies. To examine this transformation in ecology is to address pressing and vexing issues in conservation science.

这里提出的研究认为，生态科学是否以及如何适用于人类主导的生态系统。该项目将分析不同答案生态学家可能会提出一个问题，即生态理论的对象（“生态系统”，“社区”，“湖泊”，“森林”等）是否在相对“原始”的地点范式典型地包含范式，或者包括在其物理环境中进行生物的任何互动组合。如果前者，生态学家可以将人类视为生态系统结构外部，并且可能会干扰它。如果后者，生态学家可以将人类主导的生态系统研究为研究的不受欢迎的对象，包括在生态系统正常功能中的人类活动。许多生态学家认识到，他们可能研究的大多数或所有地方都包括人类影响力和活动的后果，而不是简单地或主要是自然自发过程的结果。拟议的研究研究了与各种选择相关的概念和规范后果生态学家可能会在他们的研究重点从相对“原始”转移到受人影响或占主导地位的生态系统的同时。 许多生态学家试图确定将构成核心理论的一般模型或原则（例如与生态系统结构，功能或组装相关的规则），并将生态学与其他经常更具诱导性或历史生物学和环境科学区分开来。但是，这些规则，原则和模型传统上被认为适用于“自然”社区或生态系统。如果生态学家研究与其他环境科学相同的人类统治地点（包括农艺学，兽医科学，植物育种，造林，水文养殖等），则可能不再清楚生态学与它们不同。拟议的研究将分析向生态学家开放的各种选择，以确定他们在研究人类主导的生态系统时寻找的知识和见解与与用于创建或管理这些系统的环境科学相关的知识或理解可能有所不同。 拟议的研究将有助于有关生态哲学的新兴文献。提案中描述的文献为这里提出的概念和规范分析提供了坚实的基础和有用的箔。当然，拟议研究的智力优点将取决于其所进行的规范和概念分析的照顾和清晰度。在PI的往绩中可能会找到成功的指标：在环境伦理，法律和政策的相关领域发布分析书籍和文章；利用生态学家，环境政策制定者和生态学哲学学生的建议；并且，评论该领域的文献。 关于自然保护的公共政策和课程的教学通常依赖于生物多样性，生态系统稳定性，韧性，生产力，正直等的生态概念。这些概念是在生态科学的背景下开发的，主要针对相对“原始”或“自然”生态系统。 拟议的研究将检查可能遵循的保护概念的规范后果，而生态科学包括而不是排除人类的影响力和活动。研究生态学的这种转变是解决保护科学领域的紧迫和烦恼问题。