The biocapacity, or biological capacity, is the term used to define the availability of biologically productive surface within a certain territory. The most commonly reported type of Ecological Footprint, it is defined as the area used to support a defined populations consumption. You will help the development of the site, sharing the page with your friends, Air pollution: causes, consequences and solutions, Visual pollution: causes, consequences and solutions. Fish caught and used in aquaculture feed mixes are included. Did you know that, if all the inhabitants of the Earth consumed like the inhabitants of Australia, we would need 5 planets to cover our needs? These sustainable catch estimates are converted into an equivalent mass of primary production based on the various species trophic levels. These conditions necessitate an accounting of the planets regenerative capacity, defined as Biocapacity, and human demand on that regenerative capacity, defined as Ecological Footprint. [4] When the ecological footprint becomes greater than the biocapacity of the population, a biocapacity deficit is suspected. The capacity of ecosystems to regenerate what people demand from those surfaces. Biocapacity comprehensively captures the regenerative capacity of built-up land, cropland, fishing grounds, forest land and grazing land to meet livelihood demand. A collection of the primary and secondary product Footprint intensities from the National Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts. Dividing by the number of people alive in that year, 7.4 billion, gives a biocapacity for the Earth of 1.6 global hectares per person. Biocapacity is a key concept in ecology and sustainable development, as it helps to evaluate the sustainability of human practices and to identify areas where more effective conservation and management measures need to be taken to maintain the balance between human activities and the natural environment. Biocapacity Definition & Meaning | YourDictionary wastes. For example, when adding the Ecological Footprints in a production chain (e.g., wheat farm, flour mill, and bakery), the study must count the cropland for growing wheat only once to avoid double counting. ewmiller@yorku.ca, Research collaborations: The biocapacity of a specific area concerns the entirety of the available biologically productive land and water. Word Forms. The accounts are being produced for the Footprint Data Foundation to inform individuals, communities and government leaders on how to manage limited resources efficiently, reduce economic risk and improve well-being. For its calculation, different categories of productive areas are valued, such as those dedicated to crops, pastures and forests, as well as those areas of productive marine ecosystems and areas that have been degraded by anthropic activities. For example, a refrigerator might be included in either the food, goods, or shelter component, but only in one. In contrast to the national scale, the global ecological deficit cannot be compensated for through trade, and is therefore equal to overshoot by definition. This assumes that no land is set aside for other species that consume the same biological material as humans.Biocapacity is used together with Ecological Footprint as a method of measuring Human impact on the environment. The total Ecological Footprint is then equal to the sum of the Footprint components: Cropland Footprint, Grazing Land Footprint, Fishing Grounds Footprint, Forest Products Footprint, Built-up Land Footprint, and Carbon Footprint. Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web. The capacity of an ecosystem to provide resources and absorb wastes. IO tables contain the data that are used in IO analysis. If a product is exported to another country and subsequently consumed, that product is counted in the importing countrys Ecological Footprint. The carbon Footprint measures CO2 emissions associated with fossil fuel use. These productivity weighted biologically productive hectares allow researchers to report both the biocapacity of the earth or a region and the demand on biocapacity (the Ecological Footprint). We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. All figures in the National Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts are reported in metric tons. In this case, national data for each cell is scaled up or down depending on the unique consumption patterns in that sub-national region compared to the national average. Ecological footprint - Wikipedia Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English, British and American pronunciations with audio. EF is usually presented together with biocapacity (BC), which measures the bioproductive supply. The Footprint embodied in domestically consumed products which are imported from other countries. see Ecological Footprint of production (EFP). The total biologically productive area on land and water in 2019 was approximately 12.2 billion hectares. Biocapacity is expressed in terms of global hectares per person, thus is dependent on human population. Definition Source. In a given year, equivalence factors are the same for all countries. 56 View chapter Purchase book Ecological Footprint, Concept of William E. Rees, in Encyclopedia of Biodiversity (Second Edition), 2013 Abstract Biocapacity is therefore the ecosystems capacity to produce biological materials used by people and to absorb waste material generated by humans, under current management schemes and extraction technologies. (PDF) Biocapacity vs Ecological Footprint of world regions: A When an area's ecological footprint exceeds its biocapacity, an ecological deficit occurs. A global hectare of, for example, cropland, would occupy a smaller physical area than the much less biologically productive pasture land, as more pasture would be needed to provide the same biocapacity as one hectare of cropland. This is possible only in the short term. Solving the global challenge of conserving biodiversity and living within the Earths regenerative capacity requires accounting for this capacity and its use by humans. A scaling factor that accounts for changes in the world-average yield of the same land use type over time. On the other hand, making a new house highly energy efficient does not by itself make the house Footprint neutral, unless at the same time it causes reduction in other existing Footprints. See also global hectare and local hectare. Because trade is global, an individual or countrys Footprint includes land or sea from all over the world. PDF S T D Ecological Footprint - Die Europische Kommission Origin. If there is a regional or national ecological deficit, it means that the region is importing biocapacity through trade or liquidating regional ecological assets, or emitting wastes into a global commons such as the atmosphere. When an area's ecological footprint exceeds its biocapacity, an ecological deficit occurs. The difference between the biocapacity and Ecological Footprint of a region or country. PDF BiocapacityPremise of Sustainable Development in the European Space A simple way to measure it is to track its two dimensions: (i) the state of peoples prosperity and well-being, and (ii) the extent to which human demand fits within our planets resource budget. It is abiophysical indicator of sustainabilityin which different impacts of human communities on their environment are considered. Such overshoot leads to a depletion of Earths life supporting natural capital and a buildup of waste. Since both of these indicators can be applied to various geographies (globe, region, country, community), this framework can be used to track progress at any scale. Due to lack of globally consistent data sets, current cropland Footprint calculations do not yet take into account the extent to which farming techniques or unsustainable agricultural practices may cause long-term degradation of soil. The number of global hectares required to produce a given quantity of resource or absorb a given quantity of waste, usually expressed as global hectares per tonne. Nowadays, there are more and more studies and sustainability analysis that use biocapacity as the main indicator of the sustainability of a study region. For this, it is necessary compare biocapacity with ecological footprint of said region, to know if it has been exceeded, thus producing a situation of ecological deficit or physical unsustainability. For more information, consult www.footprintstandards.org. Biocapacity is usually expressed in global hectares (gha). When the ecological footprint of a population exceeds the biocapacity of the environment it lives in, this is called an 'biocapacity deficit'. The total Biocapacity is then equal to the sum of its components: Cropland, Grazing Land, Forest Land, Fishing Grounds, and Built-up Land. The Footprint embodied in domestically produced products which are exported and consumed in another country. In this case, the population or business must rely on importing resources from other regions or on technology to compensate for the ecological deficit. The amount of biological material useful to humans that is generated in a given area. All these indicators are usually expressed in global hectares, butto ensure comparabilitythe ratio biocapacity and ecological footprint of a region or country. They are not related to, and should not be confused with the ecological concepts of primary production, gross primary productivity (GPP) and net primary productivity (NPP). These matrices are often used as a starting point for sub-national (e.g. Biocapacity can change from year to year due to climate, management, and also what portions are considered useful inputs to the human economy. The biocapacity of an area is calculated by multiplying the actual physical area by the yield factor with the appropriate equivalence factor. A Global Hectare is a Hectare of land that provides a global-average amount of biological productivity each year. In this last section we will see someexamples of the value of biocapacity per capita(hectares / inhabitants) of different countries in the world, to analyze in an illustrative way, the consumption that different countries make of their available natural resources within their total surfaces. BIOCAPACITY: What it is and Examples - Summary - Green-Ecolog.com Fewer examples. PDF A Fair Distribution of Global Biocapacity - DiVA Ecological Footprint analyses can allocate total Footprint among consumption components, typically Food, Shelter, Mobility, Goods, and Servicesoften with further resolution into sub-components. Primary products are then processed to produce secondary products like wood pulp and paper. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. A region in ecological deficit meets demand by importing, liquidating its own ecological assets (such as overfishing or deforestation), and/or emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Ecological Footprint | WWF Although most measured at the national level, Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity are also calculated at provincial, municipal, institutional, organizational, household, and individual scales. In Footprint studies, a primary product is the least-processed form of a biological material that humans harvest for use. For this, it is necessary tocompare the biocapacity with the ecological footprintof said region, to know if it has been exceeded, thus producing a situation of ecological deficit or physical unsustainability. biocapacity approach or exceed this budget - the Ecological Footprint1. If you want to go deeper into these concepts related to sustainability, in this Green Ecologist article you will find detailed information about the what is biocapacity, as well as more examples of overconsumption from many countries in the world. biological capacity or biocapacity The capacity of ecosystems to regenerate what people demand from those surfaces. its capacity to generate renewable natural resources and to absorb the waste produced by human beings. Biocapacity is calculated from United Nations population and land use data, and may be reported at various regional levels, such as a city, a country, or the world as a whole. The Ecological Footprint measures the total area of the planet required to provide the resources demanded by humans, including food and fibres, forest products, lands for settlements and infrastructure, and the absorption of anthropogenic carbon emissions. In general, biocapacity is the amount of resources available to people at a specific moment in time to a specific population (supply) and to differentiate between ecological footprint which is the environmental demand of a regional ecosystem. Biocapacity deficit The difference between the biocapacity and Ecological Footprint of a region or country. A hectare is approximately the size of a soccer field. To understand and manage these challenges, we require information about global pressures on nature demanded by humans and their economies. Tools, Marketing, Recycling Guides, Knowledge Make a donation to sustainable organizations, Find the perfect containers to improve your program. For example, there were 12 billion hectares of biologically productive land and water on this planet in 2008. A global hectare is a biologically productive hectare with world average biological productivity for a given year. The biocapacity (BC) is a measure of the amount of biologically productive land and sea area available to provide the ecosystem services that humanity consumes - our ecological budget or nature's regenerative capacity. Meanings. Biocapacity is therefore the ecosystems' capacity to produce biological materials used by people and to absorb waste material generated by humans, under current management schemes and extraction technologies. The best way to define myself as a blogger is by reading my texts, so I encourage you to do so. Main functions include resource production (such as fish, timber or cereals), waste assimilation (such as CO2 absorption or sewage decomposition) and life support services (such as UV protection, biodiversity, water cleansing or climate stability). The Ecological Footprint of consumption measures the area of the planet that is needed to supply the consumption and use of natural resources by humans. Other examples of primary products are potatoes, cereals, cotton, and types of forage. The. This figure is reduced to 4 planets if we consume like the inhabitants of the United States, and 3 planets if our consumption were like that of the Swiss. In the National Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts, the biocapacity of an area is calculated by multiplying the actual physical area by the yield factor and the appropriate equivalence factor. Consistent categorization across studies allows for comparison of the Footprint of individual consumption components across regions, and the relative contribution of each category to the regions overall Footprint. Without such a discourse, a lack of public understanding of the subject is deemed to cause poor public support for any potential policies promoting a fair distribution of global biocapacity. (The German cropland yield factor of 2.21, multiplied by the cropland equivalence factor of 2.51 converts German cropland hectares into global hectares: one hectare of cropland is equal to 5.6 gha. On the other hand, the ecological footprint is capable of tracking the level of sustainability of a human community over time and comparing it with the sustainability of some and other populations. The personal footprint calculator is a useful tool offering users direct and tangible feedback on the impact of their lifestyle on the planet and can encourage pro-environmental behaviour. Contact LCA applications are governed by the ISO 14040 series of standards (http://www.iso.org). Footprint intensity is usually measured in gha per tonne of product or waste (CO2). These alarming figures have led to the need for sustainable consumption indicators and strategies so that, from national and regional perspectives, we can have an ecological footprint that does not exceed the biocapacity of the different territories. This can include cropland, grazing land, fishing spots, arboreal areas, and land cleared for human development. the considered resources. Similar, but smaller, errors can arise in analyzing a production chain because the end product is used in produce the raw materials used to make the end product (e.g. Fewer examples. The former can be approximated by the Human Development Index (HDI), the latter with Ecological Footprint accounts (Boutaud 2002). Explore the most recent data on the Ecological Footprint Explorer open data platform (data.footprintnetwork.org). 'pa pdd chac-sb tc-bd bw hbr-20 hbss lpt-25' : 'hdn'">, Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes, Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English. You can help us remain free and independant as well as to develop new ways to communicate science by becoming a Patron! Standards serve to produce transparent, reliable and mutually comparable results in studies done throughout the Footprint Community. What is Biocapacity? Biocapacity is usually expressed in global hectares. It highlights the idea of how these per capita biocapacity values have been directly reduced by the increase in population, which causes more and more inhabitants to divide the existing natural resources in a limited area of land. By. 27 Jun 2023. If the relevant data are available, IO analyses can be used to track both physical and financial flows. For humanity, having a footprint smaller than the planet's biocapacity is a necessary condition for sustainability. [9] Biocapacity used in correlation to ecological footprint can therefore suggest whether a specific population, region, country or part of a world is living in the means of their capital. Likewise, because an economy is tied to various production factors such as natural resources, biocapacity can also be applied to determine human capital. Note that primary products and primary production Footprint are Footprint specific terms. Biocapacity and Ecological Footprint are tools created by the Global Footprint Network, used in sustainability studies around the world. What is noise pollution and how does it affect us? Such a deficit comes from three sources: overusing one's own ecosystems ("overshoot"), net imports, or use of the global commons. However, resources will run out due to the increasing demands and as a result a collapse of an ecosystem can be the consequence of such actions. Grazing land:Grazing land is used to raise livestock for meat, dairy, hide, and wool products. Thus, you are comparing land types not by the physical space they expend, but rather by the amount of productivity they yield. Note that primary product and primary production Footprint are Footprint specific terms. For additional resolution, each consumption component can be disaggregated further. Biocapacity of SRB in last thirty years has fluctuated around 4 10 6 gha, but the per capita biocapacity has declined in recent years by 36% due to the increase of population. https://www.definitions.net/definition/biocapacity. The carbon Footprint component of the Ecological Footprint is calculated as the amount of forest land needed to absorb these carbon dioxide emissions. Or, for example, if a country grows cotton for export, the ecological resources required are not included in that countrys consumption Footprint; rather, they are included in the consumption Footprint of the country that imports the t-shirts. Biocapacity Definition. Accessed September 12, 2016. TheBiocapacity, or biological capacity, is the term used to define the availability of biologically productive area within a given territory. Specified criteria governing methods, data sources and reporting to be used in Footprint studies. The accounts assist countries in meeting their United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are a set of 17 objectives to address the need for improved action on sustainability pertaining to global environmental, social, and economic conditions (, Calculating Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity, More on the Ecological Footprint Initiative. ecological footprint (EF), measure of the demands made by a person or group of people on global natural resources. the ability of a particular area to support human life in terms of the amount of food, fuel, etc. The term biocapacity refers to the measure of the biological production capacity of a given territory or ecosystem, i.e. Click on the arrows to change the translation direction. This process looks closely at the linkages between the footprint components and the consumption of goods and services. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. The biocapacity of an area is calculated by multiplying the actual physical area by the yield factor and the appropriate equivalence factor. [1] Hence what is considered useful can change from year to year (e.g. Without further specification, Ecological Footprint generally refers to the Ecological Footprint of consumption. anglais : biocapacity. it can produce and the amount of waste it can deal with: Humanity now requires the biocapacity of almost 1.5 planets to survive, he said. The biocapacity of a particular surface represents its ability to regenerate what people demand. Natural capital can be defined as all of the raw materials and natural cycles on Earth.
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