4 - Wednesday, July 4, 1990 - North Shore News Bos HUNTER SOME 14 years ago, a friend of mine and I sat down to write “Three Laws of Ecology.” The friend, an interdisciplinary ecologist named Patrick Moore, did all the thinking. | just arrang- ed the ideas in words. Given that Canadians are far more interested in ecology now than they were 14 years ago (even if they’re somewhat confused), | thought it might be useful to reit- erate these laws, since they are as valid today as they were then. This is what we wrote: “It must be understood that the innocent word ‘ecology’ contains a concept that is as revolutionary as anything since the Copernican breakthrough, when it was discovered that the planet Earth was not the centre of the entire universe. would be few objections raised to a program of mosquito eradica- uion, “It would be more difficult, however, to gain acceptance for a program to eradicate swallows, so beautiful as they flit about chasing insects through the sky. But wait, the swallows are eating mos- quitoes. Before the mosquitoes are eliminated it would be wise to consider the number of birds that will starve to death as a result. “THE SECOND LAW OF ECOLOGY states that the stabili- ty (unity, security, harmony, togetherness) of ecosystems is dependent on their diversity (complexity). “*An ecosystem that contains As surely as Copernicus taught us that the Earth is not the centre of the universe, ecology teaches us that humanity is not the centre of life on this planet.’’ **Through ecology, science has embarked on a quest for the great systems of order that underlie the complex flow of life on our planet. “This quest has taken us far beyond the realm of traditional scientific thought. Like religion, ecology seeks to understand the infinite mysteries of life itself. Harnessing the tools of logic, deduction, analysis and em- piricism, ecology may prove to be the first true science-religion. _ “‘As surely as Copernicus taught us that the Earth is not the centre of the universe, ecology teaches us that humanity is not the centre of life on this planet. Each species has its functions in the scheme of life. Each has a role, however obscure that role may be. “Ecology has taught us that the entire Earth is part of our body and that we must learn to respect it as much as we respect ourselves. As we love ourselves, we must also love all forms of life in the planetary system — the whales, the seals, the forests and the seas. “*The tremendous beauty of ecological thought is that it shows us a pathway back to an under- standing of the natural world — an understanding that is im- perative if we are to avoid a total collapse of the global ecosystem. ‘*Ecology has provided us with many insights. These may be grouped into three basic ‘Laws of Ecology’ which hold true for all forms of life — fish, plaats, in- sects, plankton, whales and hu- manity. “These laws may be stated as follows: “THE FIRST LAW OF ECOLOGY states that all forms of life are interdependent. The prey is as dependent on the predator for the control of its population as the predator is on the prey for a supply of food. “EXAMPLE: Humans, in their self-interest, often lay plans for the extermination of species that are viewed as ‘undesirable.’ There 100 different species is more stable than an ecosystem that has only in.7¢ species. Thus the complex tropical rainforest is more stable than the fragile arctic tundra. *“*EXAMPLE: Consider a natu- ral ecosystem such as a forest that contains a dozen different species of trees. ‘Each species is susceptible to specific disease that can kill indi- vidual trees. If there are many tree species it is unlikely that they would all be attacked at once, and since the trees of any one species are spaced apart, with other species between them, there is less chance of an epidemic that would wipe out every tree of that species. “Enter humanity — the forest is clear-cut for lumber and pulpwood, and is repianted with seedling trees of one species, a species that suits humanity’s needs better than any of the original dozen. Now if a disease that is specific to the new species strikes the forest, all the trees are suscep- tible and an epidemic is far more likely. “THE THIRD LAW OF ECOLOGY states that al! resources (food, water, air, min- erals, energy) are finite and there are limits to the growth of all liv- ing systems. These limits are final- ly diétated by the finite size of the Earth and the finite input of energy from the sun. ‘EXAMPLE: There are so many examples of our inability to recognize this law that no one in- stance would explain the severity of the problem. “Let it suffice to say that we are now coming up against the limits of many natural resources, including agricultural land, the fisheries, petroleum, minerals, water, and forests. “In the process we are creating a desperate situation for other species who also depend on many of these resources for food and energy.’” Sussex Insurance SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT To the customers and clients of Sussex Insurance Agency Group of Companies: We wish to inform you that we have sold our interest in Sussex Insurance Services, Inc. Located in Edgemont Village at 3053 Edgemont Boulevard, North Vancouver. To ensure that you will still receive the prompt and courteous service that you have come to expect from us, we invite you to contact Ken Armstrong, at Sussex Insurance Agency Inc., 136 West 3rd Street, North Vancouver 988-6344 or Barry Armstrong, Sussex Insurance Agency (Ambleside) Inc. 925-2833. Ken and Barry will be pleased to handle your insurance requirements and look forward to hearing from you. ig: Barry Armstrong ALLC. 925-2833 Ken Armstrong ALC 988-6344 INVICTA Gi EAGLE GT+4 ; 4 for Sale ends July 21. When you buy three tines you get the fourth at no extra charpy. 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