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People & Ecosystems

WRI's goal is to reverse rapid degradation of ecosystems and assure their capacity to provide humans with needed goods and services.

Overview


Forests
Poverty & Equity
Ecosystem
Services
Millennium
Ecosystem
Assessment
Sustainable
Business &
Markets
Ecosystem
Data, Maps & Tools

Ecosystems and human well-being are inextricably linked

Human well-being has significantly improved over the last two centuries – the majority of people lead longer, healthier lives. Ecosystem goods and services – the benefits provided by nature like fresh water, clean air, fuel, food, medicine, and timber – have underpinned most of these improvements.

However, three main problems threaten the ability of ecosystems to support human well-being:

  • The growing demand for ecosystem goods and services such as is placing unprecedented stress on ecosystems.
  • Governance at the local, regional, and global levels does not foster effective stewardship of ecosystem goods and services.
  • The benefits of ecosystems are not equitably distributed and the costs of ecosystem degradation are largely borne by the resource-dependent poor in rural areas.

To tackle these problems, WRI's People & Ecosystems Program creates innovative, practical, and decision-relevant solutions that aim to halt and reverse ecosystem degradation while sustaining their capacity to provide humans with the goods and services we need.

Topics

Staff

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