Toward a Holistic Management Perspective

In ecology, as in other scientific disciplines, there are times when certain conceptual and experimental approaches appear to hold special promise for solving specific problems or stimulating great leaps forward in understanding. The ultimate consequences of these quasi-concerted approaches vary. Some scientific fads arise from the ephemeral reclothing of old ideas; they generate interest but little actual improvement in understanding. Other instances clearly represent breakthroughs that change the ways the scientific enterprise is conducted or provide fundamental new understanding. Most popular trends eventually fall between these extremes, producing some new information, perhaps a novel experimental technique, and an incremental increase in our understanding. Indeed, the history of science has only infrequently been punctuated by bursts of real insight or conspicuous episodes of chasing elusive notions up scientific blind alleys. Today, there are several approaches to studying ecosystems under stress, and it remains to be seen which, if any, will produce powerful problem-solving results. For 15 years or more, ecologists have been espousing a "holistic" approach to