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Contents:

1 - Introduction and Conceptual Framework; 2 - Ecosystems and their services; 3 - Ecosystems and human well-being; 4 - Drivers of change in ecosystems and their services; 5 - Dealing with scale; 6 - Concepts of ecosystem value and valuation approaches; 7 - Analytical approaches; 8 - Strategic interventions, response options and decision-making.

Review:

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) was launched by Kofi Annan in 2001. It is an umbrella organisation gathering scientists from around the world to work on a series of projects. In this way it is more diverse than, say the Convention on Biological Diversity, but more focussed than the UNEP. It's job is to assess environmental knowledge, identify likely scenarios and suggest options. The results are to be aimed at policy-makers and the general public rather than directly to scientists. In this respect the MA is gathering and using the knowledge gained by specialist groups within the UN and international agencies to put forward a series of reasonable options for action. The key focus of the MA is to produce a final report in 2005. In the interim, we are getting a series of reports about select aspects of their work of which this text is one.

This book is the first report from the MA. Subtitled 'a framework for assessment' it lays out the ground upon which its future work will be based. The basic notion behind this report is deceptively simple, based on Costanza's work on ecosystem services: we need quality functioning ecosystems to survive because we can't replace the services they provide. We start with a summary which outlines the key points of the book. The following chapters give far more detail about each aspect. Chapter one both introduces the work and gives some conceptual framework. It's made clear that human well-being is the central focus although the intrinsic value of ecosystems is also seen as important. It follows that the aim of MA is to provide a scientific basis for policy options which favour such an anthropocentric approach. The human focus is given an even sharper edge with the clear statements of the UN meeting in 2000 which laid the foundations for the MA: poverty, education, reduced mortality etc. were to be seen as key drivers of the reports. Thus the conceptual framework also noted in this chapter is the study of the ecosystem services, the drivers that change them and the ways in which they can contribute to human well-being. Chapter two looks at the notion of ecosystem services but also at the concept of ecosystem arguing, rightly, that we much get our definitions and scales correct before we can work out the value of places. Chapter three moves on to the links between ecosystem health and human well-being. Although it could be argued that many people can live without direct resort to ecosystems, the report makes it clear that there is a considerable need for ecosystems as many people rely directly upon them. Having established the importance of this link, chapter four looks at the factors which drive change in ecosystems and their subsequent ability to provide services. Drivers can be direct or indirect, endogenous or exogenous giving a 2x2 matrix of potential change factors. The range chosen is substantial from pest control to property rights. As the book proceeds so the workings of the MA become more detailed. Chapter five looks at the problem of scale noting that both effect and analysis can be found at a number of scales. Rather than keep to one scale as a reference point, the MA has built scale factors into the work through multi-scale analysis. Chapter six deals with the problem of valuing ecosystem services: the extent to which conventional economic models can be used and the alternatives that we could find. The next chapter pulls together the work done up to know to highlight the analytical approaches used. The scale of the undertaking can be gauged by the fact that the MA is based on 9 tasks covering 5 data categories. In addition, new techniques are being critically evaluated. The final chapter describes how this information can be presented to policy-makers and the public.

The value of this book is that allows detailed inspection of the process just starting. As such it makes very interesting reading for those who wish for a more detailed grasp than the early reports and website allow. It would be a useful addition for those wanting to follow the MA as it goes towards its final reports.