UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Biodiversity: Its Meanings, Roles, and Status

Mace, G; (2014) Biodiversity: Its Meanings, Roles, and Status. In: Helm, D and Hepburn, C, (eds.) Nature in the Balance: The Economics of Biodiversity. Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK. Green open access

[thumbnail of Mace Biodiversity_Its_Meanings_Roles_and_Status 2014.pdf]
Preview
Text
Mace Biodiversity_Its_Meanings_Roles_and_Status 2014.pdf - Published Version

Download (365kB) | Preview

Abstract

This chapter reviews biodiversity science concepts that lead to both definitions and metrics for tracking change. Beyond its general meaning, the term “biodiversity” is now common in a wide range of situations, from ecology, through conservation biology, nature conservation, environmental sciences, and environmental policy. Common approaches to measuring biodiversity are outlined and its roles, state, and trends described in way that is relevant for economics. There are many perceptions of what biodiversity includes and how to measure changes over time and space. It is argued that the starting point for economic valuation must come from accounting properly for the benefits that flow from biodiversity. Included are the general categories of intrinsic and extrinsic values, ecosystem services, heritage, adaptability, and resilience, and relevant components and metrics of biodiversity for each of these are indicated, and areas where there are significant gaps in knowledge and information identified.

Type: Book chapter
Title: Biodiversity: Its Meanings, Roles, and Status
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199676880.003.0003
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199676880.0...
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher's terms and conditions.
Keywords: biodiversity, environmental policy, intrinsic values, extrinsic values, ecosystem services, heritage, adaptability, resilience
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences > Genetics, Evolution and Environment
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10086337
Downloads since deposit
283Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item