The function of biodiversity for different social actors.

DIAZ, S.M.; PÉREZ-HARGUINDEGUY, N.; ENRICO, L.; CONTI, G.

Hyderabad

Conferencia; XI Conference of Parties. Convention of Biological Diversity.; 2012

THE FUNCTION OF BIODIVERSITY FOR DIFFERENT SOCIAL ACTORS: IAI Research in the AmericasChanges in biodiversity significantly affect ecosystem functioning and exert control over ecosystem services. In case studies across America, we have demostrated that:* Land-use practices change the diversity of plant communities affecting the functioning of ecosystems.* Forest replacement, by reducing size and wood density of the dominant species, reduces plant and soil carbon storage.* Intensification of agriculture negatively affects biodiversity, fosters economic inequality, and modifies and weakens campesinos’s strategies. * Low-intensity exploitations should be promoted, if the aim is to preserve the multifunctionality of ecosystems for different social actors rather than maximize the short-term output by a selected set of stakeholders.Ecological studies of land use change and its impacts on biodiversity and ecosystemproperties must be integrated with an understanding of the multiple contributions ofecosystems to human well-being. This is a major challenge for science.