Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

In the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA ) is a large-scale and launched by the United Nations study, with a systematic overview of the global state of 24 key ecosystem services was created. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan was in 2001, the order for its implementation. The total cost was 24 million U.S. dollars.

The results of MA were published during the year 2005. It became clear that the Earth is in a state of degradation. 60 % or 15 of 24 ecosystem services examined were in a state of advanced and / or persistent destruction.

In addition to " Ecosystems and Human Well Being: Synthesis" mentioned summary report each additional reports have been posted for separate topics, including a " desertification ", a " Biodiversity", and a " Wetlands and Water Synthesis ," referring to the relevant international conventions as addressed messages. In addition, reports for areas " Health" and "Business and Industry" have been created.

Process

The assessment was carried out by the sighting of a large amount of scientific literature. After a very rough comparable, even when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC ) for use next peer -reviewed more than 1,300 author / inside from 95 countries cooperated in the preparation of the reports. Moreover, in addition to a global over 20 subglobal assessments were written, which transfer the concept of ecosystem services to other regions and investigate.

A Board directed the research process, which was composed of representative / inside of UN agencies, scientific organizations, the private sector, civil society and indigenous organizations. The coordination function of an additional 15-member assessment panels as well as a review board has been taken over by the United Nations Environment Programme.

Results

Four results raises the MA in particular:

• Over the past 50 years, the ecosystems and their services to greater dangers and greater loads have been exposed than ever before in human history. This process has accelerated with the passage of time, as the human needs for resources increase exponentially.
• While certain necessary for the development of ecosystem services could be extended, others were seriously damaged at the same time. This damage will result in further serious consequences in the future by themselves.
• The observed degradations are an obstacle in meeting the UN Millennium Development Goals. The plans for the abolition of hunger and epidemics around the world can not be achieved with such strong environmental damage.
• There are ways by which solved many of these problems and at the same time could advance the development of the poorest countries, but this lacks the institutional and financial conditions.