Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. The relationships between ecosystems functioning and human well-being

Abstract

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. The relationships between ecosystems functioning and human well-being.

In order to meet the needs for scientific information of decision-makers on the consequences of ecosystem change for human well-being, between 2001 and 2005 a consortium of more than 1,360 scientists from all over the world has carried out the most extensive ecological audit ever on the earth´s ecosystem conservation and the services they generate. It counted on the support of 5 United Nations Agencies, 4 international conventions, the private sector and the civil society. The future of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment will depend on its scientific credibility, political legitimacy and its utility so that it can obtain enduring funding, that allows a periodicity of 4-5 years, and opens the possibility to become a driver of change of the politics that degrade the ecosystems and endanger the well-being of future generations.