Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Board Statement

Focus: Ecosystem Services The benefits people obtain from ecosystems

Ecosystem Services Everyone in the world depends on nature and ecosystem services to provide the conditions for a decent, healthy, and secure life Click here to enlarge

Everyone in the world depends on nature and ecosystem services to provide the conditions for a decent, healthy, and secure life

Consequences of Ecosystem Change for Human Well-being Click here to enlarge image.

Unprecedented Change Humans have made unprecedented changes to ecosystems in recent decades to meet growing demands for food, fresh water, fiber, and energy These changes have helped to improve the lives of billions, but at the same time they weakened nature’s ability to deliver other key services such as purification of air and water, protection from disasters, and the provision of medicines The pressures on ecosystems will increase globally in coming decades unless human attitudes and actions change

Humans have made unprecedented changes to ecosystems in recent decades to meet growing demands for food, fresh water, fiber, and energy

These changes have helped to improve the lives of billions, but at the same time they weakened nature’s ability to deliver other key services such as purification of air and water, protection from disasters, and the provision of medicines

The pressures on ecosystems will increase globally in coming decades unless human attitudes and actions change

Key Problems Among the outstanding problems identified by this assessment are the dire state of many of the world’s fish stocks; the intense vulnerability of the 2 billion people living in dry regions to the loss of ecosystem services, including water supply; and the growing threat to ecosystems from climate change and nutrient pollution.

Among the outstanding problems identified by this assessment are the dire state of many of the world’s fish stocks; the intense vulnerability of the 2 billion people living in dry regions to the loss of ecosystem services, including water supply; and the growing threat to ecosystems from climate change and nutrient pollution.

Species extinctions Human activities have taken the planet to the edge of a massive wave of species extinctions, further threatening our own well-being

Human activities have taken the planet to the edge of a massive wave of species extinctions, further threatening our own well-being

Consequences for Human Well-being The loss of services derived from ecosystems is a significant barrier to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals to reduce poverty, hunger, and disease

The loss of services derived from ecosystems is a significant barrier to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals to reduce poverty, hunger, and disease

What can we do about it? Change the economic background to decision-making Make sure the value of all ecosystem services, not just those bought and sold in the market, are taken into account when making decisions Remove subsidies to agriculture, fisheries, and energy that cause harm to people and the environment Introduce payments to landowners in return for managing their lands in ways that protect ecosystem services, such as water quality and carbon storage, that are of value to society Establish market mechanisms to reduce nutrient releases and carbon emissions in the most cost-effective way

Change the economic background to decision-making

Make sure the value of all ecosystem services, not just those bought and sold in the market, are taken into account when making decisions

Remove subsidies to agriculture, fisheries, and energy that cause harm to people and the environment

Introduce payments to landowners in return for managing their lands in ways that protect ecosystem services, such as water quality and carbon storage, that are of value to society

Establish market mechanisms to reduce nutrient releases and carbon emissions in the most cost-effective way

What can we do about it? Improve policy, planning, and management Integrate decision-making between different departments and sectors, as well as international institutions, to ensure that policies are focused on protection of ecosystems Include sound management of ecosystem services in all regional planning decisions and in the poverty reduction strategies being prepared by many developing countries Empower marginalized groups to influence decisions affecting ecosystem services, and recognize in law local communities’ ownership of natural resources Establish additional protected areas, particularly in marine systems, and provide greater financial and management support to those that already exist Use all relevant forms of knowledge and information about ecosystems in decision-making, including the knowledge of local and indigenous groups

Improve policy, planning, and management

Integrate decision-making between different departments and sectors, as well as international institutions, to ensure that policies are focused on protection of ecosystems

Include sound management of ecosystem services in all regional planning decisions and in the poverty reduction strategies being prepared by many developing countries

Empower marginalized groups to influence decisions affecting ecosystem services, and recognize in law local communities’ ownership of natural resources

Establish additional protected areas, particularly in marine systems, and provide greater financial and management support to those that already exist

Use all relevant forms of knowledge and information about ecosystems in decision-making, including the knowledge of local and indigenous groups

What can we do about it? Influence individual behavior Provide public education on why and how to reduce consumption of threatened ecosystem services Establish reliable certification systems to give people the choice to buy sustainably harvested products Give people access to information about ecosystems and decisions affecting their services Develop and use environment-friendly technology Invest in agricultural science and technology aimed at increasing food production with minimal harmful trade-offs Restore degraded ecosystems Promote technologies to increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Influence individual behavior

Provide public education on why and how to reduce consumption of threatened ecosystem services

Establish reliable certification systems to give people the choice to buy sustainably harvested products

Give people access to information about ecosystems and decisions affecting their services

Develop and use environment-friendly technology

Invest in agricultural science and technology aimed at increasing food production with minimal harmful trade-offs

Restore degraded ecosystems

Promote technologies to increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Key features of successful responses Measures to conserve natural resources are more likely to succeed if local communities are given ownership of them, share the benefits, and are involved in decisions. Even today’s technology and knowledge can reduce considerably the human impact on ecosystems. They are unlikely to be deployed fully, however, until ecosystem services cease to be perceived as free and limitless, and their full value is taken into account. Better protection of natural assets will require coordinated efforts across all sections of governments, businesses, and international institutions. The productivity of ecosystems depends on policy choices on including investment, trade, subsidy, taxation, and regulation, among others.

Measures to conserve natural resources are more likely to succeed if local communities are given ownership of them, share the benefits, and are involved in decisions.

Even today’s technology and knowledge can reduce considerably the human impact on ecosystems. They are unlikely to be deployed fully, however, until ecosystem services cease to be perceived as free and limitless, and their full value is taken into account.

Better protection of natural assets will require coordinated efforts across all sections of governments, businesses, and international institutions. The productivity of ecosystems depends on policy choices on including investment, trade, subsidy, taxation, and regulation, among others.

The bottom line We are spending Earth’s natural capital, putting such strain on the natural functions of Earth that the ability of the planet’s ecosystems to sustain future generations can no longer be taken for granted. At the same time, the assessment shows that the future really is in our hands. We can reverse the degradation of many ecosystem services over the next 50 years, but the changes in policy and practice required are substantial and not currently underway.

We are spending Earth’s natural capital, putting such strain on the natural functions of Earth that the ability of the planet’s ecosystems to sustain future generations can no longer be taken for granted.

At the same time, the assessment shows that the future really is in our hands. We can reverse the degradation of many ecosystem services over the next 50 years, but the changes in policy and practice required are substantial and not currently underway.

Visit the MA Website All MA reports available to download Access to core data MA ‘outreach’ kit Slides Communication tools www.MAweb.org

All MA reports available to download

Access to core data

MA ‘outreach’ kit

Slides

Communication tools

MA Board Co-chairs Robert T. Watson , World Bank A.H. Zakri , United Nations University Institutional Representatives Salvatore Arico, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Peter Bridgewater , Ramsar Convention on Wetlands Hama Arba Diallo, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification Adel El-Beltagy, Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research Max Finlayson, Ramsar Convention on Wetlands Colin Galbraith, Convention on Migratory Species Erika Harms, United Nations Foundation Robert Hepworth, Convention on Migratory Species Kerstin Leitner, World Health Organization Alfred Oteng-Yeboah, Convention on Biological Diversity Christian Prip, Convention on Biological Diversity Mario Ramos, Global Environment Facility Thomas Rosswall, International Council for Science Achim Steiner, IUCN–The World Conservation Union Halldor Thorgeirsson, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Klaus Töpfer, United Nations Environment Programme Jeff Tschirley, Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations Alvaro Umaña, United Nations Development Programme Ricardo Valentini, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification Hamdallah Zedan, Convention on Biological Diversity

Co-chairs

Robert T. Watson , World Bank

A.H. Zakri , United Nations University

Institutional Representatives

Salvatore Arico, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

Peter Bridgewater , Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

Hama Arba Diallo, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

Adel El-Beltagy, Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research

Max Finlayson, Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

Colin Galbraith, Convention on Migratory Species

Erika Harms, United Nations Foundation

Robert Hepworth, Convention on Migratory Species

Kerstin Leitner, World Health Organization

Alfred Oteng-Yeboah, Convention on Biological Diversity

Christian Prip, Convention on Biological Diversity

Mario Ramos, Global Environment Facility

Thomas Rosswall, International Council for Science

Achim Steiner, IUCN–The World Conservation Union

Halldor Thorgeirsson, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

Klaus Töpfer, United Nations Environment Programme

Jeff Tschirley, Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations

Alvaro Umaña, United Nations Development Programme

Ricardo Valentini, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

Hamdallah Zedan, Convention on Biological Diversity

MA Board Members at Large Fernando Almeida , Business Council for Sustainable Development ­– Brazil Phoebe Barnard, Global Invasive Species Programme, South Africa Gordana Beltram , Ministry of Environment, Slovenia Delmar Blasco, Spain Antony Burgmans, Unilever N.V., The Netherlands Esther Camac , Asociación Ixä Ca Vaá de Desarrollo e Información Indigena, Costa Rica Angela Cropper (ex officio), The Cropper Foundation, Trinidad and Tobago Partha Dasgupta, University of Cambridge, U.K. José Maria Figueres, Fundación Costa Rica para el Desarrollo Sostenible, Costa Rica Fred Fortier, Indigenous Peoples' Biodiversity Information Network, Canada Mohamed H.A. Hassan , Third World Academy of Sciences, Italy Jonathan Lash, World Resources Institute, United States Wangari Maathai , Ministry of Environment, Kenya Paul Maro, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Harold Mooney (ex officio), Stanford University, United States Marina Motovilova , Laboratory of Moscow Region, Russia M.K. Prasad, Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad, India Walter V. Reid, Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, Malaysia and United States Henry Schacht, Lucent Technologies, United States Peter Johan Schei, The Fridtjof Nansen Institute, Norway Ismail Serageldin, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt David Suzuki, David Suzuki Foundation, Canada M.S. Swaminathan, MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, India José Galízia Tundisi, International Institute of Ecology, Brazil Axel Wenblad, Skanska AB, Sweden Xu Guanhua, Ministry of Science and Technology, China Muhammad Yunus, Grameen Bank, Bangladesh

Members at Large

Fernando Almeida , Business Council for Sustainable Development ­– Brazil

Phoebe Barnard, Global Invasive Species Programme, South Africa

Gordana Beltram , Ministry of Environment, Slovenia

Delmar Blasco, Spain

Antony Burgmans, Unilever N.V., The Netherlands

Esther Camac , Asociación Ixä Ca Vaá de Desarrollo e Información Indigena, Costa Rica

Angela Cropper (ex officio), The Cropper Foundation, Trinidad and Tobago

Partha Dasgupta, University of Cambridge, U.K.

José Maria Figueres, Fundación Costa Rica para el Desarrollo Sostenible, Costa Rica

Fred Fortier, Indigenous Peoples' Biodiversity Information Network, Canada

Mohamed H.A. Hassan , Third World Academy of Sciences, Italy

Jonathan Lash, World Resources Institute, United States

Wangari Maathai , Ministry of Environment, Kenya

Paul Maro, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Harold Mooney (ex officio), Stanford University, United States

Marina Motovilova , Laboratory of Moscow Region, Russia

M.K. Prasad, Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad, India

Walter V. Reid, Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, Malaysia and United States

Henry Schacht, Lucent Technologies, United States

Peter Johan Schei, The Fridtjof Nansen Institute, Norway

Ismail Serageldin, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt

David Suzuki, David Suzuki Foundation, Canada

M.S. Swaminathan, MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, India

José Galízia Tundisi, International Institute of Ecology, Brazil

Axel Wenblad, Skanska AB, Sweden

Xu Guanhua, Ministry of Science and Technology, China

Muhammad Yunus, Grameen Bank, Bangladesh

Nitrogen cycle