ESSAY #1

As we enter the new millennium, we should rethink how we define an Eco-System. Traditionally we have stated that the survival of a particular speices, be it plant or animal, must be protected within an area, a habitat to sustain the life of the particular living thing we are trying to protect.

But we suppose we take a global and holistic approach to sensitive areas, and declare them Bio-Systems, rather than eco- systems. And that further, these Bio-Systems because of the collective relationships of the species within the Bio-System, exhibit a level of combined intelligence that give the Bio-System a Living Intellect and thus the Bio-System can and should be declared a sciential being with inherent rights to exist so that the interdependence of the various life forms within the Bio System can survive.

Sciential is defined as "of or producing knowledge or science, or being capable skillful".  (American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.) Is an Eco- system able to be defined by these terms? Various Eco-systems have and are contributing to the body of knowledge of science. But is an eco-system capable or skillful? The complexity of the bio-diversity within and Eco-System, and the ability of the various species with the Eco-system to survive by their interdependence with each other is an indication of being capable or skillful.

The Humane Genome Project mapped and defined the human DNA and in the ten year process to discover ourselves, we were humbled to realize our closeness to other species. On average humans and most species share about ninety per cent of the available genomes within the DNA. This relationship of the basic life cells we share with other species, give us, whether we accept it or not, a kinship to other beings and the duty to protect other species rights to exist in and of themselves and to protect the Bio-systems they will need to survive.

As we begin the new millennium, we should begin to find ways to redefine the Eco-systems as Bio-systems and declare that these Bio systems need to exist to support rights of the Sciential Beings within the systems to thrive. And finally we as humans can not be parochial in our approach to preserving the Bio-Systems for their existence is linked to ours.