Biocapacity

Bio-capacity (biological capacity) is a term used to describe the total usable biological production capacity in a given year of a biologically productive area, such as within a country. The criterion for what can be considered biologically productive is based upon the following:

1. The biologically productive area land and sea area with significant photosynthetic activity and production of biomass.
2. Marginal areas with patchy vegetation and non-productive areas are not included.

Earth and the size of biologically productive land:

There are 11.3 billion global hectares of biologically productive land and sea area on the planet. The remaining three-quarters of the Earth’s surface, including deserts, ice caps, and deep oceans, support comparatively low levels of bio-productivity that are too dispersed to be harvested. See also Earth System Science in the Eco-fashion dictionary.

Related Terms

• Bioproductivity
• Photosynthesis
• Biomass
• Bioreactor
• Earth system science