Concepts of ecological integrity have recently been proposed to facilitate enhanced protection of biological and ecological resources against the threat of human activities. The promotion of ecological integrity as a basis for public policy and decision making stems from scientists and others concerned about the threats of human activities to ecosystems and species, and from philosophers attempting to derive a more suitable ethic to guide the relationships between humans and the non-human environment. Although ecological integrity has been proposed as a norm for public policy and decision making, the concept is relatively new and therefore the underlying scientific and philosophical rationales have not been fully developed. This book offers a number of perspectives to stimulate and inform future discussion on the importance and consequences of ecological integrity for science, morality and public policy.
Audience: Environmental professionals, whether academic, governmental or industrial, or working in the private consultancy sector. Also suitable as an upper-level reference text.

1 Introduction.- Conceptual Dimensions of Integrity.- 2 Ecosystem Integrity and Sustainability: The Foundational Value of the Wild.- 3 Ecological Integrity: Reclaiming Lost Connections.- 4 Embracing Complexity: The Challenge of the Ecosystem Approach.- 5 Ecological Integrity and Sustainability: Buzzwords in Conflict?.- 6 Ecosystem Integrity: A Causal Necessity.- 7 Ecosystem Integrity in a Context of Ecostudies as Related to the Great Lakes Region.- 8 Universal Environmental Sustainability and the Principle of Integrity.- Integrity: Science, Ethics, and Policy.- 9 Hard Ecology, Soft Ecology, and Ecosystem Integrity.- 10 Science for the Post Normal Age.- 11 The Value of Integrity.- Case Studies and Practical Consequences of Applying Integrity.- 12 Ecological Integrity and National Parks.- 13 The Importance of Landscape in Ecosystem Integrity: The Example of Everglades Restoration Efforts.- 14 Integrity, Sustainability, Biodiversity and Forestry.- 15 The Global Population, Food, and the Environment.- 16 Sustainable Development and Economic Growth.- 17 Ethical Obligations of Multinational Corporations to the Global Environment: The McDonald's Corporation and Conservation.