This book concentrates on the "goal functions": Self-organizing, developing ecosystems can be characterized by certain attributes - the goal functions - that experience an optimization during the ecosystem development.

1 Introduction: Targets, Goals and Orientors.- 1 Targets, Goals and Orientors.- 2 The Theoretical Approach: Tendencies of Ecosystem Development.- 2.1 The Physical Basis of Ecological Goal Functions - Fundamentals, Problems and Questions.- 2.2 Ecological Orientors: Emergence of Basic Orientors in Evolutionary Self-Organization.- 2.3 Ecological Orientors: Pattern and Process of Succession in Relation to Ecological Orientors.- 2.4 Thermodynamic Orientors: Exergy as a Goal Function in Ecological Modeling and as an Ecological Indicator for the Description Ecosystem Development.- 2.5 Thermodynamic Orientors: Exergy as a Holistic Ecosystem Indica-tor: A Case Study.- 2.6 Thermodynamic Orientors: How to Use Thermodynamic Concepts in Ecology.- 2.7 Thermodynamic Orientors: A Review of Goal Functions and Ecosys-tern Indicators.- 2.8 Network Orientors: Steps Towards a Cosmography of Ecosystems: Orientors for Directional Development, Self-Organization, and Autoevolution.- 2.9 Network Orientors: A Utility Goal Function Based on Network Synergism.- 2.10 Network Orientors: Theoretical and Philosophical Considerations why Ecosystems may Exhibit a Propensity to Increase in Ascendency.- 2.11 Applying Thermodynamic Orientors: Goal Functions in the Holling Figure-Eight Model.- 2.12 Quantifying Ecosystem Maturity - a Case Study.- 2.13 Case Studies: Orientors and Ecosystem Properties in Coastal Zones.- 2.14 Case Studies: Modeling Approaches for the Practical Application of Ecological Goal Functions.- 2.15 Case Studies: Soil as the Interface of the Ecosystem Goal Function and the Earth System Goal Function.- 2.16 The Physical Basis of Ecological Goal Functions - Fundamentals, Problems and Questions.- 3 The Philosophical Basis: Aspects from Evolution Theory and Philosophy of Science.- 3.1 Introduction: Philosophical Aspects of Goal Functions.- 3.2 The Relativity of Orientors: Interdependence of Potential Goal Functions and Political and Social Developments.- 3.3 Constructions of Environmental Issues in Scientific and Public Discourse.- 3.4 Ethics and Environment: How to Found Political and SocioEconomic Targets.- 3.5 Teleology and Goal Functions: What are the Concepts of Optimality and Efficiency in Evolutionary Biology.- 3.6 Conclusions: A Generalizing Framework for Biological Orientation.- 4 The Diversity of Targets: Problems of Combining Natural and Human Orientors.- 4.1 Introduction: Human Targets in Relation to Land Use.- 4.2 Ecosystem and Society: Orientation for Sustainable Development.- 4.3 Human Orientors: A System Approach for Transdisciplinary Com-munication of Sustainable Development by Using Goal Functions.- 4.4 Human Orientors: Ecological Targets and Environmental Law.- 4.5 Applying Thermodynamic Orientors: Coupled Economic and Envi-ronmental Growth and Development.- 4.6 Ecological- Economic Budgets: Society's Maneuver Towards Sus-tainable Development: Information and the Setting of Target Values.- 4.7 Targets of Nature Conservation: Consequences for Ecological and Economic Goal Functions.- 4.8 Conclusion: Sustainability as a Level of Integration for Diverging Targets?.- 5 The Practical Consequences: Eco Targets as Goal Functions in Environmental Management.- 5.1 Introduction: Orientors and Goal Functions for Environmental Planning - Questions and Outlines.- 5.2 Integrating Diverging Orientors: Quantifying the Interaction of Human and the Ecosphere: The Sustainable Process Index.- 5.3 Applying Thermodynamic Orientors: The Use of Exergy as an Indi-cator in Environmental Management.- 5.4 Integrating Diverging Orientors: Time Scale Effects withRespect to Sustainability.- 5.5 Deriving Eco Targets from Ecological Orientors: Goals of Nature Conservation and their Realization on the Landscape Scale.- 5.6 Applying Thermodynamic Orientors: Tools of Orientor Optimiza-tion as a Basis for Decision Making Process.- 5.7 Deriving Eco Targets from Ecological Orientors: Marine Ecological Quality Objectives: Science and Management Aspects.- 5.8 Deriving Eco Targets from Ecological Orientors: Goals and Orien-tors of an Integrated Regional Planning for a Sustainable Land-Use.- 5.9 Deriving Eco Targets from Ecological Orientors: Ecological Orien-tors for Landscape Planning.- 5.10 Integrating Diverging Orientors: Sustainable Agriculture: Ecological Targets and Future Land-Use Changes.- 5.11 Conclusion: Potentials and Limitations of a Practical Application of the Eco Target and Orientor Concept.- 6 Coclusion: Targets, Goals and Orientors.- 6 Targets, Goals and Orientors: Concluding and Re-Initializing the Discussion.