TY - CHAP

T1 - Sustainability and Ecosystems

AU - Wehrden, Henrik

AU - von Oheimb, Goddert

AU - Abson, David

AU - Härdtle, Werner

PY - 2016

Y1 - 2016

N2 - Maintenance of human well-being is highly dependent on nature. The natural environment provides a source of both directly used goods and services that support human livelihoods and an intrinsic value that contributes to human flourishing. Today, much of the planet is influenced or even transformed by human activity, and natural ecosystems are increasingly under threat. Ecology and conservation biology are crucial for understanding and quantifying changes in ecological systems. Moreover, ecology in conjunction with other branches of science provides key insights to enable management options for supporting a sustainable future for our planet. Here, we give an overview of the relationship between biodiversity, ecosystems, and sustainability. First, we introduce the notion of biodiversity, then we present the links between biodiversity, ecosystem functions, and services, in which ecosystem services are the benefits people derive from ecosystems. Finally, we outline the current threats to ecological integrity and provide a brief overview of the links between ecology and other disciplines within sustainability science.

AB - Maintenance of human well-being is highly dependent on nature. The natural environment provides a source of both directly used goods and services that support human livelihoods and an intrinsic value that contributes to human flourishing. Today, much of the planet is influenced or even transformed by human activity, and natural ecosystems are increasingly under threat. Ecology and conservation biology are crucial for understanding and quantifying changes in ecological systems. Moreover, ecology in conjunction with other branches of science provides key insights to enable management options for supporting a sustainable future for our planet. Here, we give an overview of the relationship between biodiversity, ecosystems, and sustainability. First, we introduce the notion of biodiversity, then we present the links between biodiversity, ecosystem functions, and services, in which ecosystem services are the benefits people derive from ecosystems. Finally, we outline the current threats to ecological integrity and provide a brief overview of the links between ecology and other disciplines within sustainability science.

KW - Sustainability Science

KW - Biodiversity

KW - Biodiversity

KW - Sustainability strategies

KW - Sustainable decision-making

KW - Transdisciplinarity

KW - Ecosystems Research

KW - Ecosystem function

KW - Ecosystem services

KW - Ecosystems

U2 - 10.1007/978-94-017-7242-6_5

DO - 10.1007/978-94-017-7242-6_5

M3 - Chapter

SN - 978-94-017-7241-9

SP - 61

EP - 70

BT - Sustainability Science

A2 - Heinrichs, Harald

A2 - Martens, Pim

A2 - Michelsen, Gerd

A2 - Wiek, Arnim

PB - Springer Science+Business Media

CY - Dordrecht

ER -