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This report presents an overview of the global assessment landscape and highlight elements of best practice with respect to the future undertaking of major assessments. It includes an analysis of existing and ongoing sub-regional and regional assessments from a multi-thematic perspective. An assessment process brings together diverse strands of knowledge in a way that is useful for decision making. Assessment is a key mechanism for strengthening the relationship between science and policy, and is a crucial practice through which science informs decision making. “It can establish the importance of an issue, provide an authoritative resolution of policy-relevant scientific questions, demonstrate the benefits of policy options, identify new research directions and provide technical solutions” (NAS 2007, p. 1). It can also demonstrate the risks and costs of different policy options.

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) defines its "strategy for the integrated management of land, water and living resources that promotes conservation and sus- tainable use in an equitable way" as the Ecosystem Approach to management. This use incorporates the concept of an area used by humans as well as one containing plants and animals in a recognisable configuration.