Diversity Change and Sustainability: Implications for Fisheries

"Conserving biodiversity is regarded one of the major issues for enabling sustainable use of natural resources. This paper, focusing on the Baltic Sea and Sweden's fisheries, emphasizes the value of preserving biodiversity for the maintenance of diverse, resilient and functioning ecological life-support systems. These constitute a fundamental and necessary base for all human activities. The major features of diversity: species diversity, genetic diversity, functional diversity and spatial and temporal diversity and diversity changes in the Baltic Sea ecosystem are described and discussed together with the development of management approaches in Sweden's fisheries. The paper takes a systems perspective, focusing on the linkages between ecological and economic systems. Biodiversity is seen as an interdependent part of a cluster of diversities in the human society and in the ecological system. The need for broader integrated approaches enhancing diversity in resource-management systems are emphasized."