“Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will man realise he cannot eat money” – Cree Indian Proverb

Vulnerability and Resilience of Ecosystems Vulnerability is the susceptibility to physical or emotional injury or attack. Vulnerability refers to a state of being liable to succumb. All elements of ecosystems are interdependent, making them vulnerable. Changes in any element will move an ecosystem beyond the state of dynamic equilibrium. Dynamic equilibrium is a state where equilibrium is reached with constantly changing inputs and outputs to the ecosystem and is based on its biophysical interactions. The ability of ecosystems to deal with disturbances and return to equilibrium is determined by their resilience.

Vulnerability and Resilience of Ecosystems The Environmental Vulnerability Index (EVI) A vulnerability index for the natural environment, the basis of all human welfare, has been developed by the South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and their partners. This index is designed to be used with economic and social vulnerability indices to provide insights into the processes that can negatively influence the sustainable development of countries. Development is often achieved through trade-offs between the pillars of environmental, economic and social aspects. Therefore, in order to promote sustainability, it has become increasingly important to be able to measure how vulnerable each aspect is to damage and to identify ways of building resilience.

Australia’s EVI Australia’s area of greatest vulnerability in ecosystems is biotechnology. Biotechnology measurement is the cumulative number of deliberate field trials of genetically modified organisms conducted in the country since This indicator captures the risk to genetic diversity, genetic pollution and unpredictable ecosystem effects of introducing incompletely tested and/or unpredictable bioengineered organisms into the environment.

Vulnerability and Resilience of Ecosystems Stability in ecosystems is based on three features: Inertia or persistence – the abilityto resist change Constancy – the ability of a population to maintain its numbers or size within the limits of natural resources. Resilience – the ability of an ecosystem to adapt to changes and restore structure and function after a disturbance or stress.

Vulnerability and Resilience of Ecosystems How ecosystems maintain stability is poorly understood. This is due to being unable to predict the stress or risk placed on an ecosystem by altering one or a combination of factors.