Ecological Engineering
This note discusses ecological engineering as an environmentally-aware design approach.
Synonyms
- Environmental engineering
Definition
Ecological engineering is "the design of ecosystems for the mutual benefit of humans and nature". (from the homepage of the Ecological Engineering: The Journal of Ecosystem Restoration)
The idea here is that humans can start designing before they know all relationships within an ecosystems because they can rely on self-design by nonhuman organisms.
Odum, Howard T. Environment, Power, and Society. New York: Wiley-Interscience, 1971.
Principles
Organisms may self-design their relationships. Therefore, ecological network design is possible before humans know all relationships and dynamics.
Kangas, Patrick C. Ecological Engineering: Principles and Practice. Boca Raton: Lewis Publishers, 2004.
19 Design Principles for ecological engineering:
- Ecosystem structure & function are determined by forcing functions of the system;
- Energy inputs to the ecosystems and available storage of the ecosystem is limited;
- Ecosystems are open and dissipative systems (not thermodynamic balance of energy, matter, entropy, but spontaneous appearance of complex, chaotic structure);
- Attention to a limited number of governing/controlling factors is most strategic in preventing pollution or restoring ecosystems;
- Ecosystem have some homeostatic capability that results in smoothing out and depressing the effects of strongly variable inputs;
- Match recycling pathways to the rates of ecosystems and reduce pollution effects;
- Design for pulsing systems wherever possible;
- Ecosystems are self-designing systems;
- Processes of ecosystems have characteristic time and space scales that should be accounted for in environmental management;
- Biodiversity should be championed to maintain an ecosystem's self design capacity;
- Ecotones, transition zones, are as important for ecosystems as membranes for cells;
- Coupling between ecosystems should be utilized wherever possible;
- The components of an ecosystem are interconnected, interrelated, and form a network; consider direct as well as indirect efforts of ecosystem development;
- An ecosystem has a history of development;
- Ecosystems and species are most vulnerable at their geographical edges;
- Ecosystems are hierarchical systems and are parts of a larger landscape;
- Physical and biological processes are interactive, it is important to know both physical and biological interactions and to interpret them properly;
- Eco-technology requires a holistic approach that integrates all interacting parts and processes as far as possible;
- Information in ecosystems is stored in structures.
Mitsch, William J., and Sven Erik Jørgensen. Ecological Engineering and Ecosystem Restoration. 2nd ed. Hoboken: Wiley, 2004.
Replication of Natural Structures
Cf. the discussion on Complexity
Evans, Ally J., Peter J. Lawrence, Atteyeh S. Natanzi, Pippa J. Moore, Andrew J. Davies, Tasman P. Crowe, Ciaran McNally, Bryan Thompson, Amy E. Dozier, and Paul R. Brooks. ‘Replicating Natural Topography on Marine Artificial Structures: A Novel Approach to Eco-Engineering’. Ecological Engineering 160 (2021): 106144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2020.106144.
Levy, Natalie, Ofer Berman, Matan Yuval, Yossi Loya, Tali Treibitz, Ezri Tarazi, and Oren Levy. ‘Emerging 3D Technologies for Future Reformation of Coral Reefs: Enhancing Biodiversity Using Biomimetic Structures Based on Designs by Nature’. Science of The Total Environment 830 (2022): 154749. https://doi.org/10/gpvbg6.
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