Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Linking people and ecosystems

Text boxes:: Box 1.1: History of use and abuse; Box 1.2: Linking ecosystems and people; Box 1.3: Water filtration and purification; Box 1.4: Pollination; Box 1.5: Biological diversity; Box 1.6: Carbon storage; Box 1.7: Linking people and ecosystems: human-induced pressures; Box 1.8: Invasive species; Box 1.9: Trade-offs: Lake Victoria’s ecosystem balance sheet; Box 1.10: Domesticating the world: conversion of natural ecosystems; Box 1.11: How much do we consume?; Box 1.12: The human population; Box 1.13: Pollution and ecosystems; Box 1.14: Valuing the invaluable; Box 1.15: Ecotourism and conservation: are they compatible?; Box 1.16: Uprooting communal tenure in Indonesian forests; Box 1.17: Rural poverty and adaptation

Chapter 2. Taking stock of ecosystems

Text boxes:: Box 2.1: The difficulty of assessing ecosystems; Box 2.2: Terrestrial storage of carbon; Box 2.3: Are we altering Earth’s basic chemicla cycles?; Box 2.4: Taking stock of agroecosystems; Box 2.5: The global extent of agriculture; Box 2.6: The intensification of agriculture; Box 2.7: The economic value of agricultural production; Box 2.8: Soil degradation in South and Southeast Asia; Box 2.9: Hot spots and bright spots in Latin American agroecosystems; Box 2.10: Taking stock of coastal ecosystems; Box 2.11: Coastal population and altered landcover; Box 2.12: Mangroves; Box 2.13: Coral reef; Box 2.14: Pollution in coastal areas; Box 2.15: Overfishing; Box 2.16: Trawling; Box 2.17: Taking stock of forest ecosystems; Box 2.18: The changing extent of forests; Box 2.19: Fragmentation of forests in Africa; Box 2.20: Forest fires; Box 2.21: Global use of woodfuels; Box 2.22: Endangered trees; Box 2.23: The deforestation of watersheds; Box 2.24: Taking stock of freshwater systems; Box 2.25: Fragmentation and flow; Box 2.26: The quantity and quality of freshwater; Box 2.27: Changes in inland fisheries; Box 2.28: Biodiversity in freshwater systems; Box 2.29: Taking stock of grassland ecosystems; Box 2.30: Global extent of grasslands; Box 2.31: Grassland fires; Box 2.32: Fragmentation of American grasslands; Box 2.33: Rangelands in Africa

Chapter 3. Living in Ecosystems

Text boxes:: Box 3.1: Overview: Machakos; Box 3.2: Machakos agriculture; Box 3.3: Ranking the challenges in Machakos; Box 3.4: Overview: Florida Everglades; Box 3.5: The South Florida ecosystem; Box 3.6: Indicators of Everglades decline; Box 3.7: Restoration means more water and clean water; Box 3.8: Overview: Dhani Forest; Box 3.9: History of Indian forest management; Box 3.10: The people of Dhani’s villages; Box 3.11: Joint forest management in India; Box 3.12: Overview: South Africa’s invasives; Box 3.13: Most widespread plant invaders in South Africa; Box 3.14: South Africa’s new water law: managing water for equity, economic growth, and ecosystem resilience; Box 3.15: Valuing a Fynbos ecosystem; Box 3.16: How the Mekong’s hydropower resources are divided; Box 3.17: Overview: Mongolia’s grasslands; Box 3.18: Land use in inner Asia; Box 3.19: Pastoral movements; Box 3.20: Livestock density in inner Asia

Chapter 4. Adopting an Ecosystems Approach

Text boxes:: Box 4.1: What is an ecosystem approach?; Box 4.2: Differences between traditional forest management and an ecosystem approach to forest management; Box 4.3: The need for integrated ecosystem assessments; Box 4.4: Using information to support an ecosystem approach; Box 4.5: Filling the information gap; Box 4.6: The call for a millenium ecosystem assessment