The idea of putting a value on ecosystems first arose in the late 1980s. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA), published in 2005, was a major statement laying out this way of thinking. The classification of ecosystem services proposed by the MA is shown in Figure 1.
This valuing of ecosystems has occurred in response to the overwhelming evidence that humankind is damaging and modifying natural systems, and that this has consequences for human wellbeing. A big difference between this kind of approach and traditional nature conservation is the change in emphasis from ‘talismanic megafauna’ (such as the iconic WWF panda) to much more abstract and less ‘cuddly’ ideas of ecosystem processes.
Your organisation does not have access to this article.
Sign up today to give your students the edge they need to achieve their best grades with subject expertise
Subscribe
