In this book's introduction, the author reflects on how the linking of sustain-ability and the environment has boosted the concept of ecosystems and the environment as natural capital. He points out that because this special form of wealth i provided to us free, people have tended to view nature as a limitless resource, and perhaps always available for use, exploitation, and conversion. Today, he says, our economies and societies are progressively threatened by ecological scarcity, with constrained natural resources affecting fossil fuel supplies, fisheries, and arable land and water, and related degradation of many key ecosystems. He believes that if we can better understand our relationship to natural capital, then perhaps we can also find ways to manage and enhance what is left of our natural endowment.
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