The idea that nature provides services to people is one of the most powerful concepts to have emerged over the last two decades. It is shaping our understanding of the role that biodiverse ecosystems play in the environment and their benefits for humankind. As a result, there is a growing interest in operational and methodological issues surrounding ecosystem services amongst environmental managers, and many institutions are now developing teaching programmes to equip the next generation with the skills needed to apply the concepts more effectively. This handbook provides a comprehensive reference text on ecosystem services, integrating natural and social science (including economics). Collectively the chapters, written by the world's leading authorities, demonstrate the importance of biodiversity for people, policy and practice. They also show how the value of ecosystems to society can be expressed in monetary and non-monetary terms, so that the environment can be better taken into account in decision making. The significance of the ecosystem service paradigm is that it helps us redefine and better communicate the relationships between people and nature. It is shown how these are essential to resolving challenges such as sustainable development and poverty reduction, and the creation of a green economy in developing and developed world contexts.

Table of Contents:
Foreword Robert Watson 1. Ecosystem Services in the Twenty-first Century Marion Potschin, Roy Haines-Young, Robert Fish and R. Kerry Turner Part 1: Ecosystem Services Concepts and Frameworks – Introduction 2. Ecosystem Services in Theory and Practice Robert Costanza 3. Defining and Measuring Ecosystem Services Marion Potschin and Roy Haines-Young Briefing Note 3.1: Ecosystem Functions: A Critical Perspective Kurt Jax 4. The Links between Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Patricia Balvanera, Sandra Quijas, Berta Martín-López, Edmundo Barrios, Laura Dee, Forest Isbell, Isabelle Durance, Piran White, Ryan Blanchard and Rudolf de Groot Briefing Note 4.1: Service Providing Units Gary Luck 5. Ecosystem Structures and Processes: Characterising Natural Capital Stocks and Flows Dave Raffaelli 6. The Beneficiary Perspective: Benefits and Beyond Dixon H. Landers, Amanda M. Nahlik and Charles R. Rhodes 7. A Social-Ecological Perspective on Ecosystem Services Lasse Loft, Alexandra Lux and Thomas Jahn Briefing Note 7.1: Transdisciplinarity Jennifer Hauck Briefing Note 7.2: Drivers of Change for Ecosystem Services Mark Rounsevell and Paula A. Harrison 8. Concepts and Methods in Ecosystem Services Valuation Erik Gómez-Baggethun, David N. Barton, Pam Berry, Robert Dunford and Paula A. Harrison 9. A Critical Perspective Mark Sagoff 10. Economics and Ecosystem Services: a Positive Contribution to Environmental Management R. Kerry Turner Part 2: Ecosystem Services:Methods, Techniques for Decision Support – Introduction 11. Frameworks for Ecosystem Assessments Marion Potschin and Roy Haines-Young Briefing Note 11.1: Place-based Assessment of Small Islands' Ecosystem Services Mario V. Balzan, Marion Potschin and Roy Haines-Young 12. Modelling Ecosystem Services Felix Kienast and Julian Helfenstein 13. Indicators for Ecosystem Services Felix Müller, Benjamin Burkhard, Ying Hou, Marion Kruse, Liwei Ma and Peter Wangai 14. Using Futures-thinking to Support Ecosystem Assessments Steven Cork 15. Mapping Ecosystem Services Joachim Maes, Neville D. Crossman and Benjamin Burkhard 16. A Practical Approach to Mapping of Ecosystems and Ecosystem Services using Remote Sensing Camino Liquete, Eva Haas, Torsten Bondo, Christina Hirzinger, Melanie Schnelle, Dominik Reisinger, David Lyon, John Finisdore and Michael Ledwith Briefing Note 16.1: Remote Sensing Giles M. Foody 17. An Introduction to Ecosystem Accounting Lars Hein, Bram Edens, Carl Obst, Roy Remme, Matthias Schröter and Elham Sumarga 18. Accounting for Ecosystem Services in Business Joel R.A. Houdet, John Finisdore, Julia Martin-Ortega, Helen Ding, John Maleganos, James Spurgeon, Tobias Hartmann, and David Steuerman 19. Valuing Preferences for Ecsoystem-related Goods and Services Tomas Badura, Ian Bateman, Matthew Agarwala and Amy Binner 20. Ecological Economics and Ecosystem Services R. Kerry Turner 21. Stakeholder Participation in Ecosystem Service Decision-making Robert Fish, Eirini Saratsi, Mark Reed and Hans Keune 22. Deliberative and Non-monetary Valuation Jasper O. Kenter 23. The ‘Balance Sheet’ Approach within Adaptive Management for Ecosystem Services R. Kerry Turner Briefing Note 23.1: Ecosystem Services and Justice Thomas Sikor, Adrian Martin, Janet Fisher and Jun He Briefing Note 23.2: Ecosystem Services and Ethics Kurt Jax 24. Securing Nature and People: Can We Replicate and Scale Success? Gretchen C. Daily Part 3: Ecosystem Services in an Applied Context – Introduction 25. Ecosystem Services: Provisioning Gillian Galford and Taylor Ricketts 26. Managing Regulating Services for Sustainability Christine Fürst, Susanne Frank and Justice Nana Inkoom 27. Managing Cultural Ecosystem Services for Sustainability Kai M.A. Chan and Terre Satterfield Briefing Note 27.1: Ecosystem Services and Spirituality Nigel Cooper 28. Towards Effective Ecosystem Services Assessment in Marine Coastal Management Mahé Charles, Rémi Mongruel, Nicola Beaumont, Tara Hooper, Harold Levrel, Eric Thiébaut and Linwood Pendleton 29. Freshwater Kate A. Brauman 30. Forest-related Ecosystem Services Sandra Luque and Louis Iverson 31. Drylands Lindsay C. Stringer and Andrew J. Dougill 32. Ecosystem Services Supplied by the Mediterranean Basin Ecosystems Berta Martín-López, Elisa Oteros-Rozas, Emmanuelle Cohen-Shacham, Fernando Santos-Martín, Marta Nieto-Romero, Claudia Carvalho-Santos, José A. González, Marina García-Llorente, Keren Klass, Ilse Geijzendorffer, Carlos Montes and Wolfgang Cramer 33. Ecosystem Services Provided by Soil Life Wim H. van der Putten and Diana H. Wall 34. The Importance of Grasslands in Providing Ecosystem Services: Opportunities for Poverty Alleviation Benis N. Egoh, Janne Bengtsson, Regina Lindborg, James M. Bullock, Adam P. Dixon and Mathieu Rouget Briefing Note 34.1: Ecosystem Services and Grasslands in America Alan J. Franzluebbers and Jean L. Steiner Briefing Note 34.2: Ecosystem Services and Grasslands in Australia Neil MacLeod and John McIvor 35. Cultivated Lands Tobias Plieninger, Christopher M. Raymond and Elisa Oteros-Rozas 36. Ecosystem Services Provided by Urban Green Infrastructure Thomas Elmqvist, Erik Gómez-Baggethun and Johannes Langemeyer Briefing Note 36.1: Green Infrastructure and Ecosystem Services Susannah Gill Part 4: Linking and Informing Agendas – Introduction 37. A Policy Perspective on Mainstreaming Ecosystem Services: Opportunities and Risks Patrick ten Brink and Marianne Kettunen 38. Ecosystem Services and Climate Change Bruno Locatelli 39. Can Ecosystem Services Contribute to Food Security? Alison G. Power 40. Ecosystem Services and Water Security Sarah Hendry and Geoffrey Gooch 41. What are the Links between Poverty and Ecosystem Services? Marije Schaafsma and Brendan Fisher 42. Ecosystem Services and Health Conor E. Kretsch 43. Ecosystem Services and the Greening of Business Guy Duke 44. Payments for Ecosystem Services Roy Brouwer 45. Maximising Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Benefits in Conservation Decision-making Hedley S. Grantham, Rosimeiry Portela, Mahbubul Alam, Daniel Juhn and Lawrence Connell 46. Bridging the Gap between Ecosystem Services and Landscape Planning Paul Opdam 47. Spatial and Landscape Planning: A Place for Ecosystem Services Christina von Haaren, Christian Albert and Carolin Galler Briefing Note 47.1: Including Ecosystem Services in Impact Assessment: Challenges and Opportunities Davide Geneletti 48. An Institutional Perspective Eeva Primmer 49. The Use of Ecosystem Services Knowledge in Policy-making: Drawing Lessons and Adjusting Expectations Duncan Russel, Andrew Jordan and John Turnpenny Part 5: Conclusion 50. On the Changing Relationship between Ecosystem Services Continuance and Sustainability Tim O’Riordon 51. Ecosystem Services: Where is the Discipline Heading? Georgina Mace 52. Ecosystem services: Never Waste the Opportunity Offered by a Good Crisis Robert Fish, Marion Potschin, R. Kerry Turner and Roy Haines-Young