The Influence of Ecosystem Services Towards Human Wellbeing

The Influence of Ecosystem Services Towards Human Wellbeing
Author: Hasmah Abdullah
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2021
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9781536199772

Ecosystem services provide benefits to humans, including- ̄provisioning services (food, water, timber, fibre and genetic resources), regulating services (regulation of climate, floods, diseases and water quality), cultural services (recreational, aesthetic and spiritual), and support services (soil formation, pollination and nutrient cycling). Promoting the concept of ecosystem services reveals the potential of its contribution to environmental wellbeing for conservation and sustainability. Humans, as users of the provided services, benefit from ecosystem services, fostering dependency on nature. The use of ecosystem services may lead to unintended environmental consequences throughout the supply chain. Hence, this book will focus on the services provided for human wellbeing and a multilayer association with human problems worldwide when supply chains are disturbed. Carbon emissions from city areas are responsible for 75% of world carbon dioxide emissions, making them a significant contributor to climate change. Urban populations are early responders to the impacts of climate change. In addition, ecosystem services are influenced by human activities. Domestic and industrial water pollution has led to the contamination of drinking water in many parts of the world. Waste management, such as solid waste management and biomedical waste management, is considered crucial for balancing ecosystem services as a consequence of human activities. In addition, air pollution has become part of ecosystem service disturbance, as it has become a worldwide problem and a major threat to the surrounding environment and human health. The major sources of air pollutants are mobile sources and stationary and transboundary emissions. Human activities, such as mining and exploration, have brought naturally occurring radioactive elements, such as gamma rays, which are present at relatively low concentrations in many geologic formations and earth materials, to the surface and have become a threat to human health. Among others, loud noise exposure in occupational settings has been found to be hazardous to hearing organs. Environmental stressors that lead to ecosystem changes have been shown to trigger noncommunicable diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. The emergence and re-emergence of vector-borne diseases, such as Zika, Dengue and Malaria, are rapidly influenced by changes in ecosystem services. Many studies have been conducted to develop effective vaccines to combat such diseases. New drugs have been developed from natural resources with the aim of combating drug resistance, enhancing efficacy and reducing toxicity. In addition, a health education programme (HEP) is also being developed to improve the quality of life of patients. A broad spectrum of research is reported in this book covering environmental monitoring, modelling, molecular research, natural product discovery and health education programmes, showing the importance of support from ecosystem services that must be preserved for future wellbeing.

The Influence of Ecosystem Services Towards Human Wellbeing

The Influence of Ecosystem Services Towards Human Wellbeing
Author: Hasmah Abdullah
Publisher:
Total Pages: 191
Release: 2021-08-18
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9781685070250

"Ecosystem services provide benefits to humans, including provisioning services (food, water, timber, fibre and genetic resources), regulating services (regulation of climate, floods, diseases and water quality), cultural services (recreational, aesthetic and spiritual), and support services (soil formation, pollination and nutrient cycling). Promoting the concept of ecosystem services reveals the potential of its contribution to environmental wellbeing for conservation and sustainability. Humans, as users of the provided services, benefit from ecosystem services, fostering dependency on nature. The use of ecosystem services may lead to unintended environmental consequences throughout the supply chain. Hence, this book will focus on the services provided for human wellbeing and a multilayer association with human problems worldwide when supply chains are disturbed. Carbon emissions from city areas are responsible for 75% of world carbon dioxide emissions, making them a significant contributor to climate change. Urban populations are early responders to the impacts of climate change. In addition, ecosystem services are influenced by human activities. Domestic and industrial water pollution has led to the contamination of drinking water in many parts of the world. Waste management, such as solid waste management and biomedical waste management, is considered crucial for balancing ecosystem services as a consequence of human activities. In addition, air pollution has become part of ecosystem service disturbance, as it has become a worldwide problem and a major threat to the surrounding environment and human health. The major sources of air pollutants are mobile sources and stationary and transboundary emissions. Human activities, such as mining and exploration, have brought naturally occurring radioactive elements, such as gamma rays, which are present at relatively low concentrations in many geologic formations and earth materials, to the surface and have become a threat to human health. Among others, loud noise exposure in occupational settings has been found to be hazardous to hearing organs. Environmental stressors that lead to ecosystem changes have been shown to trigger noncommunicable diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. The emergence and re-emergence of vector-borne diseases, such as Zika, Dengue and Malaria, are rapidly influenced by changes in ecosystem services. Many studies have been conducted to develop effective vaccines to combat such diseases. New drugs have been developed from natural resources with the aim of combating drug resistance, enhancing efficacy and reducing toxicity. In addition, a health education programme (HEP) is also being developed to improve the quality of life of patients. A broad spectrum of research is reported in this book covering environmental monitoring, modelling, molecular research, natural product discovery and health education programmes, showing the importance of support from ecosystem services that must be preserved for future wellbeing"--

Ecosystems and Human Well-being

Ecosystems and Human Well-being
Author: Joseph Alcamo
Publisher:
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2003
Genre: Biodiversity
ISBN:

Ecosystems and Human Well-Being is the first product of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, a four-year international work program designed to meet the needs of decisionmakers for scientific information on the links between ecosystem change and human well-being. The book offers an overview of the project, describing the conceptual framework that is being used, defining its scope, and providing a baseline of understanding that all participants need to move forward. The Millennium Assessment focuses on how humans have altered ecosystems, and how changes in ecosystem services have affected human well-being, how ecosystem changes may affect people in future decades, and what types of responses can be adopted at local, national, or global scales to improve ecosystem management and thereby contribute to human well-being and poverty alleviation. The program was launched by United National Secretary-General Kofi Annan in June 2001, and the primary assessment reports will be released by Island Press in 2005. Leading scientists from more than 100 nations are conducting the assessment, which can aid countries, regions, or companies by: providing a clear, scientific picture of the current sta

Biodiversity Change and Human Health

Biodiversity Change and Human Health
Author: Osvaldo E. Sala
Publisher: Island Press
Total Pages: 321
Release: 2012-09-26
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1610911253

Biodiversity Change and Human Health brings together leading experts from the natural science and social science realms as well as the medical community to explore the explicit linkages between human-driven alterations of biodiversity and documented impacts of those changes on human health. The book utilizes multidisciplinary approaches to explore and address the complex interplay between natural biodiversity and human health and well-being. The five parts examine health trade-offs between competing uses of biodiversity (highlighting synergistic situations in which conservation of natural biodiversity actually promotes human health and well-being); relationships between biodiversity and quality of life that have developed over ecological and evolutionary time; the effects of changing biodiversity on provisioning of ecosystem services, and how they have affected human health; the role of biodiversity in the spread of infectious disease; native biodiversity as a resource for traditional and modern medicine Biodiversity Change and Human Health synthesizes our current understanding and identifies major gaps in knowledge as it places all aspects of biodiversity and health interactions within a common framework. Contributors explore potential points of crossover among disciplines (both in ways of thinking and of specific methodologies) that could ultimately expand opportunities for humans to both live sustainably and enjoy a desirable quality of life.

Ecosystems and Human Well-being

Ecosystems and Human Well-being
Author: Carlos Corvalán
Publisher: World Health Organization
Total Pages: 65
Release: 2005
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9241563095

Approximately 60% of the benefits that the global ecosystem provides to support life on Earth (such as fresh water, clean air and a relatively stable climate) are being degraded or used unsustainably. In the report, scientists warn that harmful consequences of this degradation to human health are already being felt and could grow significantly worse over the next 50 years.

Ecosystem Ecology

Ecosystem Ecology
Author: David G. Raffaelli
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 174
Release: 2010-03-04
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9780521513494

What can ecological science contribute to the sustainable management and conservation of the natural systems that underpin human well-being? Bridging the natural, physical and social sciences, this book shows how ecosystem ecology can inform the ecosystem services approach to environmental management. The authors recognise that ecosystems are rich in linkages between biophysical and social elements that generate powerful intrinsic dynamics. Unlike traditional reductionist approaches, the holistic perspective adopted here is able to explain the increasing range of scientific studies that have highlighted unexpected consequences of human activity, such as the lack of recovery of cod populations on the Grand Banks despite nearly two decades of fishery closures, or the degradation of Australia's fertile land through salt intrusion. Written primarily for researchers and graduate students in ecology and environmental management, it provides an accessible discussion of some of the most important aspects of ecosystem ecology and the potential relationships between them.

Biodiversity, Ecosystem Functioning, and Human Wellbeing

Biodiversity, Ecosystem Functioning, and Human Wellbeing
Author: Shahid Naeem
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Total Pages: 388
Release: 2009-07-30
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0191563323

How will biodiversity loss affect ecosystem functioning, ecosystem services, and human well-being? In an age of accelerating biodiversity loss, this timely and critical volume summarizes recent advances in biodiversity-ecosystem functioning research and explores the economics of biodiversity and ecosystem services. The book starts by summarizing the development of the basic science and provides a meta-analysis that quantitatively tests several biodiversity and ecosystem functioning hypotheses. It then describes the natural science foundations of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning research including: quantifying functional diversity, the development of the field into a predictive science, the effects of stability and complexity, methods to quantify mechanisms by which diversity affects functioning, the importance of trophic structure, microbial ecology, and spatial dynamics. Finally, the book takes research on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning further than it has ever gone into the human dimension, describing the most pressing environmental challenges that face humanity and the effects of diversity on: climate change mitigation, restoration of degraded habitats, managed ecosystems, pollination, disease, and biological invasions. However, what makes this volume truly unique are the chapters that consider the economic perspective. These include a synthesis of the economics of ecosystem services and biodiversity, and the options open to policy-makers to address the failure of markets to account for the loss of ecosystem services; an examination of the challenges of valuing ecosystem services and, hence, to understanding the human consequences of decisions that neglect these services; and an examination of the ways in which economists are currently incorporating biodiversity and ecosystem functioning research into decision models for the conservation and management of biodiversity. A final section describes new advances in ecoinformatics that will help transform this field into a globally predictive science, and summarizes the advancements and future directions of the field. The ultimate conclusion is that biodiversity is an essential element of any strategy for sustainable development.

Biodiversity and Health in the Face of Climate Change

Biodiversity and Health in the Face of Climate Change
Author: Melissa R. Marselle
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 494
Release: 2019-06-11
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 3030023184

This open access book identifies and discusses biodiversity’s contribution to physical, mental and spiritual health and wellbeing. Furthermore, the book identifies the implications of this relationship for nature conservation, public health, landscape architecture and urban planning – and considers the opportunities of nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation. This transdisciplinary book will attract a wide audience interested in biodiversity, ecology, resource management, public health, psychology, urban planning, and landscape architecture. The emphasis is on multiple human health benefits from biodiversity - in particular with respect to the increasing challenge of climate change. This makes the book unique to other books that focus either on biodiversity and physical health or natural environments and mental wellbeing. The book is written as a definitive ‘go-to’ book for those who are new to the field of biodiversity and health.

Ecosystem Services for Well-Being in Deltas

Ecosystem Services for Well-Being in Deltas
Author: Robert J. Nicholls
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 615
Release: 2018-05-29
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3319710931

This book answers key questions about environment, people and their shared future in deltas. It develops a systematic and holistic approach for policy-orientated analysis for the future of these regions. It does so by focusing on ecosystem services in the world’s largest, most populous and most iconic delta region, that of the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta in Bangladesh. The book covers the conceptual basis, research approaches and challenges, while also providing a methodology for integration across multiple disciplines, offering a potential prototype for assessments of deltas worldwide. Ecosystem Services for Well-Being in Deltas analyses changing ecosystem services in deltas; the health and well-being of people reliant on them; the continued central role of agriculture and fishing; and the implications of aquaculture in such environments.The analysis is brought together in an integrated and accessible way to examine the future of the Ganges Brahmaputra delta based on a near decade of research by a team of the world’s leading scientists on deltas and their human and environmental dimensions. This book is essential reading for students and academics within the fields of Environmental Geography, Sustainable Development and Environmental Policy focused on solving the world’s most critical challenges of balancing humans with their environments. This book is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Ecosystem Services and Poverty Alleviation (OPEN ACCESS)

Ecosystem Services and Poverty Alleviation (OPEN ACCESS)
Author: Kate Schreckenberg
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 353
Release: 2018-04-27
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 042901628X

Understanding how to sustain the services that ecosystems provide in support of human wellbeing is an active and growing research area. This book provides a state-of-the-art review of current thinking on the links between ecosystem services and poverty alleviation. In part it showcases the key findings of the Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation (ESPA) programme, which has funded over 120 research projects in more than 50 countries since 2010. ESPA’s goal is to ensure that ecosystems are being sustainably managed in a way that contributes to poverty alleviation as well as to inclusive and sustainable growth. As governments across the world map how they will achieve the 17 ambitious Sustainable Development Goals, most of which have poverty alleviation, wellbeing and sustainable environmental management at their heart, ESPA’s findings have never been more timely and relevant. The book synthesises the headline messages and compelling evidence to address the questions at the heart of ecosystems and wellbeing research. The authors, all leading specialists, address the evolving framings and contexts for the work, review the impacts of ongoing drivers of change, present new ways to achieve sustainable wellbeing, equity, diversity, and resilience, and evaluate the potential contributions from conservation projects, payment schemes, and novel governance approaches across scales from local to national and international. The cross-cutting, thematic chapters challenge conventional wisdom in some areas, and validate new methods and approaches for sustainable development in others. The book will provide a rich and important reference source for advanced students, researchers and policy-makers in ecology, environmental studies, ecological economics and sustainable development. The Open Access version of this book, available at https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9780429016295, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.