Online Resource Puts Ecosystem Services Experts at Fingertips

The World Resources Institute (WRI) and other leading international environmental organizations today launched the Ecosystem Services Experts Directory, a public online directory that allows journalists, business leaders, and governments to locate and contact specialists in ecosystem services.

“Businesses realize that they face material risks and opportunities related to ecosystem degradation,” said Craig Hanson, director of the People and Ecosystems Program at the World Resources Institute.

“Now, for the first time, policy makers and companies have a single place where they can quickly find people who can help them make informed decisions about the environment,” added Nigel Winser of the Earthwatch Institute.  

The free, easy-to-use directory enables users to search for country-specific experts in a wide range of ecosystem disciplines. It includes hundreds of expert profiles from environmental organizations around the world, including the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Ecological Society of America, and the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment’s Sub-Global Working Groups.

“With this resource, a policy maker in Mexico, for example, can contact local natural resource economists to assess the value of a nature reserve,” said James Griffiths, managing director of Ecosystems, Water and Sustainable Forest Products Industry at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. “Likewise, an agriculture company in India can find water, biodiversity, and agriculture experts to learn about the immediate ecological challenges facing its products.”

“The directory provides an opportunity for experts to share their work and improves scientific communication to decision makers,” said Enrique Lahmann of IUCN. 

The Ecosystem Services Experts Directory is a joint venture between WRI, IUCN, WBCSD, and the Earthwatch Institute.