Abstract

Biological regeneration (or biocapacity for short) refers to the amount of biomass ecosystems can replenish within a given time period, typically a year. This regeneration is driven by the solar radiation through photosynthesis. The resulting biomass is the basis of virtually all life on our planet. Regeneration provided by ecosystems is one of humanity’s most critical physical inputs, as the foundation of (nearly) all food chains on the planet, including that of the human economy. Biocapacity quantifies the regeneration rate of ecosystems. It does it in a way that enables comparisons of ecosystem productivity and human demand across time and space.