Ecosystem services are the benefits people obtain from ecosystems. The MA deals with the full range of ecosystems-from those relatively undisturbed, such as natural forests, to landscapes with mixed patterns of human use and to ecosystems intensively managed and modified by humans, such as agricultural land and urban areas. The assessment focuses on the linkages between ecosystems and human well-being and, in particular, on ‘‘ecosystem services.’’ An ecosystem is a dynamic complex of plant, animal, and microorganism communities and the nonliving environment interacting as a functional unit. The sub-global assessments also aimed to meet the needs of users in the regions where they were undertaken. The MA responds to government requests for information received through four international conventions-the Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, and the Convention on Migratory Species-and is designed to also meet needs of other stakeholders, including the business community, the health sector, nongovernmental organizations, and indigenous peoples.
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment was carried out between 20 to assess the consequences of ecosystem change for human well-being and to establish the scientific basis for actions needed to enhance the conservation and sustainable use of ecosystems and their contributions to human well-being. Ecosystems and human well-being : current state and trends : findings of the Condition and Trends Working Group / edited by Rashid Hassan, Robert Scholes, Neville Ash. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data. ISLAND PRESS is a trademark of The Center for Resource Economics.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher: Island Press, 1718 Connecticut Avenue, Suite 300, NW, Washington, DC 20009. Copyright 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.
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