Conflicts and controversies involving interactions between human beings, their communities, and the environment have become defining issues of our time. There is a growing awareness of both the physical effects of people on the environment and the ways in which beliefs, cultural norms, and economic conditions shape the human response to these issues. Human beings are increasing in number worldwide. Many of our lifestyle choices now appear to have a measurable and harmful impact on biological and environmental systems in the United States as well as around the world. Continued growth in population and the resulting sprawl of people into previously unsettled land forces individuals, governments, and society as a whole to examine current and future priorities in regard to lifestyle and the natural world.

One of the serious environmental problems facing humankind today is the loss of biological diversity. Biodiversity is the vast and varied...