Human ecology

Designed by a partnership of UN agencies, international scientific organizations, and development agencies, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) is the most extensive study ever of the linkages between the world's ecosystems and human well-being. The goal of the MA is to establish the scientific basis for actions needed to enhance the contribution of ecosystems to human well-being without undermining their long-term productivity.

Sir Martin Holdgate, former IUCN Director General, was a principal author of both the "World conservation strategy" and "Caring for the earth". In this book, he brings his unrivalled experience to the task of reviewing progress to date and examining what now needs to be done. He argues that we must work for change at every level, from our understanding of our place in relation to nature and the values we put on it, up to a reformed economic structure and new social institutions.