| We,
the ecologists attending the 8th International Congress
of Ecology in Seoul, Korea, are concerned about the destruction,
and inappropriate and unsustainable exploitation of ecosystems
in the last century. We are committed to provide united
guidance for spaceship Earth in this century. We wish
to make the 21st Century one of peaceful existence of
humans living in dignity within healthy ecosystems. Ecologists
in academia, business and government service must reach
out to develop cultures that create harmonious relationships
between human enterprises and the environment we exist
within and depend upon. We are ready to undertake this
enormous and vitally important task.
We declare the following resolutions in support of
the welfare of human kind and the environment in which
we live.
1. We urge the World Environmental Summit to have serious
and responsible deliberations so that participants will
reach a consensus on the directions and solutions necessary
to solve the key environmental issues, such as global
warming, loss of biological diversity, and deterioration
of ecosystem functions.
2. Korea has experienced numerous environmental problems
in the last century of rapid economic growth and urbanization.
Korea can now emerge as an exemplary model of sustainable
development for other countries. We praise recent initiatives
of central government, the Seoul City government, and
Korean citizens, as role models of what needs to be
done, and how to accomplish the objectives.
3. World communities will be tied closer than ever
before the end of this century, as population and economic
growth inevitably put even more stress and demands on
ecosystems. It is essential to put more efforts into
revealing the directions, changes, and evolution of
ecosystems and the biosphere into a wide and long-term
perspective as these new global and local pressures
increase. In this regard, Long-Term Ecological Research
(LTER) initiatives should have a high priority because
of their proven success and irreplaceable value.
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