ECOLOGICAL MAPPING AS A FACTOR IN THE CONSOLIDATION OF THE GEOGRAPHICAL SCIENCES

The author investigates the role of ecological mapping as a unifying factor in the geographical sciences. Among the issues addressed include: (1) whether only current or past maps on environmental subjects may be considered “ecological,” (2) the role of human subjects of mapping both as agents of environmental change and biological species affected by it, (3) ecological mapping both as a theoretical concept and as a tool, (4) levels of interrelationship among environmental components and pollutants to be depicted on ecological maps, and (5) the need for meaningful regional units for statistical analysis. Translated by Edward Torrey, Alexandria, VA 22308 from: Izvestiya Rossiyskogo Geograficheskogo Obshchestva, Vol. 127, 1995, No. 6, pp. 18-23.