EWS
Office of Justice and Peace, Diocese of Richmond May 2008
Understanding Four Basic Ecological Principles
Excerpted from “The Habits of Creation” Workshop Manual,
written by the diocesan Ecological Working Group
The earth is an extraordinary body, so...
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EWS
Office of Justice and Peace, Diocese of Richmond May 2008
Understanding Four Basic Ecological Principles
Excerpted from “The Habits of Creation” Workshop Manual,
written by the diocesan Ecological Working Group
The earth is an extraordinary body, so full of life and energy, of diverse parts
acting together, that some have likened it to an organism.
This biosphere is
comprised of hundreds of different ecosystems, distinct communities of plants
and animals, and the water, air, soil and mineral resources that support them.
Ecosystems are like neighborhoods, or perhaps like neighborhoods of years
past.
All the “neighbors” interact with each other, either directly – a bee
pollinating a berry flower, a fox eating a squirrel – or indirectly, as when rain
leaches nutrients from deer droppings, which in turn enter a stream, fueling
the growth of algae, a source of food for the fish.
Ecosystems vary in size, complexity, and vulnerability to human intervention.
Some, like tropical forest
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