Vulnerability to Changes in Ecosystem Services

Humans are an inseparable part of their environment through their dependence on ecosystems and the services ecosystems provide. The mismanagement of ecosystem services increases human vulnerability. Examples like the Irish Potato Famine (1845-1850), the Canadian dustbowl (1920s), or the current Californian pollination crisis show how past unsustainable use of ecosystem services lead to human harm. Projections of ecosystem service supply under global change alert us to potential negative trends in the future. Using these examples the author discusses three general reasons for unsustainable management of ecosystem services, and explores how environmental science can facilitate sustainable management. Environmental scientists alone cannot provide the information and the tools that are needed to lessen the vulnerability of a region. However, they can make essential contributions by identifying ecosystem services, and providing the best current understanding of the dynamics of complex ecosystems, including human management. Sustainable management of ecosystem services requires a sustained active dialogue between a free media, an alert and well-informed public, candid scientists and policy makers – in other words, it requires abundant social, economic and environmental resources.