The State of the Nation's Ecosystems

The State of the Nation's Ecosystems PDF Author: H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Ecosystem health
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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The State of the Nation's Ecosystems

The State of the Nation's Ecosystems PDF Author: H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Ecosystem health
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description


"The State of the Nation's Ecosystems"

Author: United States. Congress. House. Committee on Science
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 96

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The State of the Nation's Ecosystems

The State of the Nation's Ecosystems PDF Author: H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521525725
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 294

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Book Description
We all rely on a familiar set of indicators - interest rates, unemployment, inflation, the Dow Jones index, and GDP, for example - to gauge the performance of national economies. No such measures are currently available to describe the environment. This book lays out a blueprint for periodic reporting on the condition and use of ecosystems in the United States. Developed by experts from businesses, environmental organizations, universities, and federal, state, and local government agencies, it is designed to provide policymakers and the general public with a succinct and comprehensive - yet scientifically sound and non-partisan - view of 'how we are doing'. This book should prove invaluable for decision makers in natural resource management and environmental policy in government and environmental organizations, businesses, and trade associations; academics with a research or teaching interest in environmental issues; and the general public interested in the continued well-being of American ecosystems.

"The State of the Nation's Ecosystems"

Author: United States. Congress. House. Committee on Science
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 88

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The State of the Nation's Ecosystems 2008

The State of the Nation's Ecosystems 2008 PDF Author: H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 372

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Book Description
Revised and updated periodically, The State of the Nation's Ecosystems is widely recognized as America's most comprehensive report on the condition of our lands, waters, and living resources. Like the acclaimed first edition, this second edition provides nonpartisan, scientifically reliable information for policymakers, scientists, journalists, and anyone who is interested in the state of America's environment. The State of the Nation's Ecosystems provides a way to "take the pulse" of America's environment. It is organized around the nation's primary ecosystems: farmlands, forests, fresh waters, coasts and oceans, grasslands and shrublands, urban and suburban areas, and the nation as a whole. For each, it identifies what should be measured, counted, and reported so that decision makers and others can understand the changes that are occurring, set priorities for action, and measure whether we are achieving our environmental goals. Conditions are tracked using approximately 100 indicators, agreed upon by hundreds of experts from universities, government agencies, corporations, and environmental organizations. The new report refines the set of indicators and supplies data. Until its publication, there was no environmental equivalent to the kind of "key economic indicators" that help to gauge the economic health of the nation, like gross domestic product. The State of the Nation's Ecosystems provides our first set of "key environmental indicators." It won't eliminate differences of opinion about environmental policy, but it will provide a common set of data to inform the debate as well as a common yardstick for measuring the effectiveness of our actions. Most importantly, it will provide much-needed assistance in setting our future agenda.

Microbes to Ecosystems

Microbes to Ecosystems PDF Author: Blake D. Edgar
Publisher: University Press of Florida
ISBN: 194285241X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 30

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Book Description
The University of Florida has an ambitious goal: to harness the power of its faculty, staff, students, and alumni to solve some of society’s most pressing problems and to become a resource for the state of Florida, the nation, and the world. In Microbes to Ecosystems, follow the scientists, researchers, and staff of the University of Florida’s Biodiversity Institute as they marshal unprecedented amounts of biological data to help us conserve species, adapt to climate change, and solve pressing environmental problems. With a twenty-first-century, interdisciplinary approach, the Biodiversity Institute unites some of the most prominent researchers and state-of-the-art resources in the biological sciences, genomics, and informatics. Together they innovate new methods and technologies to accelerate discovery, communicate data and understanding, and determine potential solutions for maintaining sustainable environments. Connections are critical to both ecological and computational systems, and the institute aims to build connections that can help us more effectively study and save biological diversity, including connecting perspectives between the natural sciences and social sciences and connecting scientific research to regulatory policy. Central to the institute’s efforts is the Florida Museum of Natural History—the second largest university-based natural history museum in the country and home to more than 40 million specimens and artifacts—and iDigBio, the national center for creating a digital catalog of the earth’s flora and fauna. The stories chronicled in Gatorbytes span all colleges and units across the UF campus. They detail the far-reaching impact of UF’s research, technologies, and innovations—and the UF faculty members dedicated to them. Gatorbytes describe how UF is continuing to build on its strengths and extend the reach of its efforts so that it can help even more people in even more places.

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity in National and International Policy Making

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity in National and International Policy Making PDF Author: Patrick ten Brink
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136538720
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 530

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Book Description
The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) study is a major international initiative drawing attention to local, national and global economic benefits of biodiversity, to highlight the growing costs of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation, the benefits of investing in natural capital, and to draw together expertise from the fields of science, economics and policy to enable practical actions. Drawing on a team of more than one hundred authors and reviewers, this book demonstrates the value of ecosystems and biodiversity to the economy, society and individuals. It underlines the urgency of strategic policy making and action at national and international levels, and presents a rich evidence base of policies and instruments in use around the world and a wide range of innovative solutions. It highlights the need for new public policy to reflect the appreciation that public goods and social benefits are often overlooked and that we need a transition to decision making which integrates the many values of nature across policy sectors. It explores the range of instruments to reward those offering ecosystem service benefits, such as water provision and climate regulation. It looks at fiscal and regulatory instruments to reduce the incentives of those running down our natural capital, and at reforming subsidies such that they respond to current and future priorities. The authors also consider two major areas of investment in natural capital - protected areas and investment in restoration. Overall the book underlines the needs and ways to transform our approach to natural capital, and demonstrates how we can practically take into account the value of ecosystems and biodiversity in policy decisions - at national and international levels - to promote the protection of our environment and contribute to a sustainable economy and to the wellbeing of societies.

Ecosystems and Human Well-Being

Ecosystems and Human Well-Being PDF Author: Kanchan Ratna Chopra
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 662

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Book Description
With the knowledge of possible outcomes, what kind of actions should we take? The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment scored 74 response options for dealing with declines in ecosystem services and biodiversity, and managing drivers such as climate change and nutrient loading. This third volume in the MA series analyzes the track record of past policies and the potential of new ones. The challenge of reversing the degradation of ecosystems while meeting increasing demands for their services can be met only with significant policy and institutional changes. However, a difficult set of obstacles stand in the way. Policy makers must keep in mind that there are both trade-offs and synergies between human well-being, ecosystems, and ecosystem services, and that decisions regarding these tradeoffs are difficult and often contentious. The Responses volume ultimately establishes which policy options have the greatest chance to overcome the obstacles and generate positive outcomes. It will serve as an invaluable guide to the creation of stronger policy frameworks for the future.

System of Environmental Economic Accounting 2012 Experimental Ecosystems Accounting

System of Environmental Economic Accounting 2012 Experimental Ecosystems Accounting PDF Author: OECD
Publisher: OECD Publishing
ISBN: 9210562852
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 198

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Book Description
Ecosystem accounting is a relatively new and emerging field dealing with integrating complex biophysical data, tracking changes in ecosystems and linking those changes to economic and other human activity. There is an increasing urgency to advance this emerging field of statistics on ecosystems.

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity: Ecological and Economic Foundations

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity: Ecological and Economic Foundations PDF Author: Pushpam Kumar
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136538798
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 455

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Book Description
Human well-being relies critically on ecosystem services provided by nature. Examples include water and air quality regulation, nutrient cycling and decomposition, plant pollination and flood control, all of which are dependent on biodiversity. They are predominantly public goods with limited or no markets and do not command any price in the conventional economic system, so their loss is often not detected and continues unaddressed and unabated. This in turn not only impacts human well-being, but also seriously undermines the sustainability of the economic system. It is against this background that TEEB: The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity project was set up in 2007 and led by the United Nations Environment Programme to provide a comprehensive global assessment of economic aspects of these issues. This book, written by a team of international experts, represents the scientific state of the art, providing a comprehensive assessment of the fundamental ecological and economic principles of measuring and valuing ecosystem services and biodiversity, and showing how these can be mainstreamed into public policies. This volume and subsequent TEEB outputs will provide the authoritative knowledge and guidance to drive forward the biodiversity conservation agenda for the next decade.