The earth is losing biological diversity at an unprecedented rate. It reflects accelerating human demands on natural systems. The solution requires a coordinated, global effort. Deliberate forest management must play a key roll in conserving biological diversity. It also refers to ecological structures, functions, and processes at all of these levels.
Biological diversity occurs at spatial scales that range from local through regional to global.
Some elements of biological diversity are more important than others. It is unrealistic to think that every aspect of a biota can be restored or preserved. Priority must be given to rare species, communities, and ecosystems and, within these levels, elements that are critical to nutrient cycling, energy pathways, and predator-prey relations. Since presettlement times, human activities have modified forest ecosystems. Rapidly increasing human populations, their technological capabilities, the emergence of an integrated world economy, and demands for higher standards of living have increased both the intensity and the frequency of these modifications.