Protecting Our Environmental Wealth: Connecting Ecosystem Goods and Services to Human Well-Being

摘要

Ecosystem goods and services are an important concept whereby the benefits that ecosystems provide to society can be better measured. However, to realize the full potential of this approach, social and natural scientists need to identify and consistently provide biophysical information that people care about. Ecosystems produce essential goods and services for people, referred to as "ecosystem goods and services" (EGS).1 Nonetheless, we often overlook our critical dependence on ecosystems. Land use change decisions that could result in the loss or degradation of ecosystems, such as for agriculture, forest harvest, or urban development, also can result in contributions to human benefit, e.g., crops, timber, living space.