ASSESSING BIODIVERSITY

Environmental assessment and monitoring is not limited to measuring qu antities of some substances that threaten our existence. At present th e greatest challenge is not to gain another decimal point in assaying a certain noxious chemical. As far as technical aspects of monitoring are concerned, we witness a steady progress. Our conceptual developmen t is less tangible. At the same time it is more urgent. We are directe d to assess and monitor novel characteristics such as biodiversity and ecosystem health. They are considered to be the basis of modern, ecos ystem management. Specialists in wildlife, fisheries, soil scientists, agronomists, and foresters are revising the established tenets of the ir disciplines to pursue maximum biodiversity. This could be done only if we know what biodiversity and ecosystem health are. This paper ass esses the state of our knowledge of these concepts.