Ecological stability: A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Diploma of Natural Resources at Lincoln College, University of Canterbury

Abstract

Human life on earth is dependent upon the functioning of ecosystems. However man's impacts upon ecosystems are often disturbing and degradative. Planned impacts today can be so large that a 'trial and error' approach to ecosystem maintenance is untenable because of the risk of extensive and irreversible ecosystem deterioration. Resource managers require the ability to predict how an ecosystem will react to a given disturbance before that disturbance occurs. The behaviour of an ecosystem depends upon its stability; its time dependent response to a perturbation. This dissertation defines ecosystem stability within a conceptual framework.It briefly examines methods which attempt to measure ecosystem stability and the application of the concept to resource management.