Biodiversity & Democracy: Rethinking Society & Nature; Author: Wood, Paul M.; Hardback; Book

Author: Wood, Paul M.
Hardback; Book
288 pages
Published: October 2000
University of British Columbia
ISBN: 0774806885

Biodiversity, says Wood (forest resources management, U. of British Columbia) is not a biological resource that can be replaced, but an essential environmental condition that is being irreversibly depleted. He traces the alarming rate of extinction of species, genes, and ecosystems to democratic policies that cater to short-term public preferences with little or no concern for the long term. He argues that biodiversity should be conserved even if it is not in the public's current best interests.This work argues that the problem of extinction can be traced to how we think about biodiversity and democratic societies. While biodiversity is usually confused with biological resources, Wood argues that it should be conceived as an essential environmental condition.