Bioeconomics is the study of the dynamics of living resources using
economicEconomics is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
models. It is an attempt to apply the methods of
environmental economicsEnvironmental economics is a subfield of economics concerned with environmental issues. Quoting from the National Bureau of Economic Research Environmental Economics program:-Topics and concepts:...
and
ecological economicsImage:Sustainable development.svg|right|The three pillars of sustainability. Clickable.|275px|thumbpoly 138 194 148 219 164 240 182 257 219 277 263 291 261 311 264 331 272 351 283 366 300 383 316 394 287 408 261 417 224 424 182 426 154 423 119 415 87 403 58 385 40 368 24 347 17 328 13 309...
to empirical biology. Bioeconomics applies
optimal controlOptimal control theory, an extension of the calculus of variations, is a mathematical optimization method for deriving control policies. The method is largely due to the work of Lev Pontryagin and his collaborators in the Soviet Union and Richard Bellman in the United States.-General method:Optimal...
methods to
mathematical modelA mathematical model uses mathematical language to describe a system. Mathematical models are used not only in the natural sciences and engineering disciplines but also in the social sciences ; physicists, engineers, computer scientists, and economists use...
s using environmental and ecological elements for resource protection issues relating to resource economics.
Bioeconomics is the science determining the socioeconomic activity threshold for which a
biological systemIn biology, a Biological system is a group of organs that work together to perform a certain task. Common systems, such as those present in mammals and other animals, seen in human anatomy, are those such as the circulatory system, the respiratory system, the nervous system, etc.A group of systems...
can be effectively and efficiently utilised without destroying the conditions for its regeneration and therefore its
sustainabilitySustainability, in a broad sense, is the capacity to endure. In ecology, the word describes how biological systems remain diverse and productive over time...
.
Bioeconomics is closely related to the early development of theories in fisheries economics, initially in the mid 1950s by Canadian economists Scott Gordon (in 1954) and Anthony Scott (1955).
Bioeconomics is the study of the dynamics of living resources using
economicEconomics is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
models. It is an attempt to apply the methods of
environmental economicsEnvironmental economics is a subfield of economics concerned with environmental issues. Quoting from the National Bureau of Economic Research Environmental Economics program:-Topics and concepts:...
and
ecological economicsImage:Sustainable development.svg|right|The three pillars of sustainability. Clickable.|275px|thumbpoly 138 194 148 219 164 240 182 257 219 277 263 291 261 311 264 331 272 351 283 366 300 383 316 394 287 408 261 417 224 424 182 426 154 423 119 415 87 403 58 385 40 368 24 347 17 328 13 309...
to empirical biology. Bioeconomics applies
optimal controlOptimal control theory, an extension of the calculus of variations, is a mathematical optimization method for deriving control policies. The method is largely due to the work of Lev Pontryagin and his collaborators in the Soviet Union and Richard Bellman in the United States.-General method:Optimal...
methods to
mathematical modelA mathematical model uses mathematical language to describe a system. Mathematical models are used not only in the natural sciences and engineering disciplines but also in the social sciences ; physicists, engineers, computer scientists, and economists use...
s using environmental and ecological elements for resource protection issues relating to resource economics.
Bioeconomics is the science determining the socioeconomic activity threshold for which a
biological systemIn biology, a Biological system is a group of organs that work together to perform a certain task. Common systems, such as those present in mammals and other animals, seen in human anatomy, are those such as the circulatory system, the respiratory system, the nervous system, etc.A group of systems...
can be effectively and efficiently utilised without destroying the conditions for its regeneration and therefore its
sustainabilitySustainability, in a broad sense, is the capacity to endure. In ecology, the word describes how biological systems remain diverse and productive over time...
.
History
Bioeconomics is closely related to the early development of theories in fisheries economics, initially in the mid 1950s by Canadian economists Scott Gordon (in 1954) and Anthony Scott (1955). Their ideas used recent achievements in biological fisheries modelling, primarily the works by
SchaeferMilner Baily Schaefer was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming, in 1912 and died at the age of 57 in San Diego, California in 1970. He is notable for his work on the population dynamics of fisheries....
(1957) on establishing a formal relationship between fishing activities and biological growth through mathematical modelling confirmed by empirical studies, and also relates itself to ecology and the environment and resource protection.
These ideas developed out of the multidisciplinary
fisheries scienceFisheries science is the academic discipline of managing and understanding fisheries. It is a multidisciplinary science, which draws on the disciplines of oceanography, marine biology, marine conservation, ecology, population dynamics, economics and management to attempt to provide an integrated...
environment in Canada at the time. Fisheries science and modelling developed rapidly during a productive and innovative period, particularly among Canadian fisheries researchers of various disciplines. Population modelling and fishing mortality were introduced to economists, and new interdisciplinary modelling tools became available for the economists, which made it possible to evaluate biological and economic impacts of different fishing activities and
fisheries managementFisheries management draws on fisheries science in order to find ways to protect fishery resources so sustainable exploitation is possible. Modern fisheries management is often referred to as a governmental system of appropriate management rules based on defined objectives and a mix of management...
decisions.
Renewable resources
- Fisheries: At least one researcher has attempted to perform Hubbert linearization (Hubbert curve
The Hubbert curve projects the rate of oil production over time, and is the main component of Hubbert peak theory. It was first proposed by geophysicist M. King Hubbert in the mid 1950s during his tenure at the Shell Oil Company...
) on the whalingWhaling is the hunting of whales which dates back to at least 3,000 BC. The evolution of traditional Arctic whaling developed with increasing rapidity by early organized fleets in the 17th century; competitive national whaling industries in the 18th and 19th centuries; and the introduction of...
industry, as well as charting the transparently dependent price of caviarCaviar is the processed, salted roe of certain species of fish, most notably the sturgeon and the salmon...
on sturgeonSturgeon is the common name used for some 26 species of fish in the family Acipenseridae, including the genera Acipenser, Huso, Scaphirhynchus and Pseudoscaphirhynchus. The term includes over 20 species commonly referred to as sturgeon and several closely related species that have distinct common...
depletion. Another example is the codCod is the common name for the genus Gadus, belonging to the family Gadidae, and is also used in the common name for various other fishes. Cod is a popular food with a mild flavor, low fat content and a dense, flaky white flesh. Cod livers are processed to make cod liver oil, an important source of...
of the North Sea. The comparison of the cases of fisheries and of mineral extraction tells us that the human pressure on the environment is causing a wide range of resources to go through a depletion cycle which follows a Hubbert curve.
See also
- Green economics
- EconMult
EconMult is a general fleet model to be used in fisheries modelling. EconMult has been developed since 1991 as a part of the Multispecies management programme by the Norwegian Research Council at the Norwegian College of Fishery Science .-Model resolution and key variables:EconMult is a discrete...
- Economics of biodiversity
There have been a number of economic arguments advanced regarding evaluation of the benefits of biodiversity. Most are anthropocentric but economists have also debated whether biodiversity is inherently valuable, independent of benefits to human....
- Milner Baily Schaefer
Milner Baily Schaefer was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming, in 1912 and died at the age of 57 in San Diego, California in 1970. He is notable for his work on the population dynamics of fisheries....
- Ecological economics
Image:Sustainable development.svg|right|The three pillars of sustainability. Clickable.|275px|thumbpoly 138 194 148 219 164 240 182 257 219 277 263 291 261 311 264 331 272 351 283 366 300 383 316 394 287 408 261 417 224 424 182 426 154 423 119 415 87 403 58 385 40 368 24 347 17 328 13 309...
- Systems ecology
Systems ecology is an interdisciplinary field of ecology, taking a holistic approach to the study of ecological systems, especially ecosystems. Systems ecology can be seen as an application of general systems theory to ecology. Central to the systems ecology approach is the idea that an ecosystem...
Further reading
- H. Scott Gordon (1954). The Economic Theory of a Common-Property Resource: The Fishery. The Journal of Political Economy 62(2): 124-142.
- M. B. Schaefer (1957). Some considerations of population dynamics and economics in relation to the management of marine fishes. Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada, 14: 669-81.
- Seijo JC, Defeo O and Salas S (1998) Fisheries bioeconomics: Theory, modelling and management FAO Fisheries, Technical paper 368. ISBN 92-5-104045-1.
- kabir i. falau(2008). The modern Economics: The Objectives of Sole Ownership. The Journal of Political Economy 63(2): 116-124.
External links