BRAINCAKESustainability
Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It tries to balance three things: the environment, the economy and society.
A biological resource, such as timber or fish, is used sustainably if it is harvested no faster than it can be replaced by growth and reproduction. The population then stays stable and can be harvested indefinitely.
Worked example: a forest regrows 400 m3 of timber each year. Harvesting 600 m3 a year removes more than is replaced, so the forest shrinks. The largest sustainable harvest is 400 m3 per year.
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More in Biodiversity
- Conserving Ecosystems
- Conservation
- Ex-Situ Conservation of Plants
- Ex-situ Conservation of Animals
- In-Situ Conservation
- In-situ Conservation Strategies
- National Parks
- Conflicts with Conservation
All 22 lessons in Biodiversity · All Edexcel AS-level Biology topics