PhilEco

PhilEco is a discipline concerned with developing a pragmatic understanding of the relationship between Ecology and Economics for authentically sustainable development.

The term PhilEco was coined by Jeffrey M. Rempel in 1999. It has its roots in ancient Greek language from "-phil-" for love and "Oikos" for house or environment (is the root of the "eco" in economics and ecology). PhilEco explicitly recognizes the affinity that exists between economics and ecology. Furthermore it asserts the position that environmental management should be based on this affinity.

PhilEco facilitates real world application of the theoretical concepts involved in ecosystem services and the ecosystem approach. "The ecosystem approach is based on the application of appropriate scientificmethodologies focused on levels of biological organization, which encompassthe essential structure, processes, functions and interactions among organismsand their environment. It also recognizes that humans, with their cultural diversity,are an integral component of many ecosystems." [The Ecosystem Approach. Published by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Montreal 2004. Copyright 2004, Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. ISBN 92-9225-023-x] . PhilEco provides a simple model for the integration of environmental, social, economic and institutional values allowing for transparent decision making. Typical tools involved include: Environmental Impact Assessment, Social Impact Assessment, Cost Benefit Analysis and Regulatory Pluralism. The theoretical framework is based on concepts including: Ecosystem-based Management, Community based adaptive co-management, Strategic Environmental Assessment, Cumulative Effects Assessment. Through innovative technological platforms based on decision support systems, GIS, and multi-criteria decision analysis the aforementioned tools can be integrated based on the above concepts ultimately allowing for the realisation of holistic policy development.

References

External links

* [http://www.cbd.int/ecosystem/description.shtml Ecosystem Approach - Convention on Biological Diversity]