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Human well-being utterly depends on nature. Development, defined broadly to encompass social, economic, and environmental aspects of growth, aims to improve human well-being. Despite the inextricable connections, development and nature have frequently been considered in isolation or even in opposition. This guide aims to help decision makers reconcile the two by outlining how an Ecosystems Services Approach can be incorporated into existing decision making processes to strengthen development strategies. It is intended for use by a city mayor; a local planning commission member; a provincial governor; an international development agency official; or a national minister of finance, energy, water, or environment and those working for them.

In World Resources 2005 we showed that ecosystems can become the focus of a powerful model for nature-based enterprise that delivers continuing economic and social benefits to die poor, even as it improves the natural resource base. Evidence shows that poor rural families empowered with secure resource rights can significantly increase their income stream from nature with prudent ecosystem management. To make this possible, a funda- mental shift in governance—in the power of the poor to access resources of value and build functional enterprises—is required.

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment was carried out between 2001 and 2005 to assess the consequences of ecosystem change for human well-being and to analyze options available to enhance the conservation and sustainable use of ecosystems and their contributions to human well-being. The MA responds to requests for information received through the Convention on Biological Diversity and other international conventions (the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, and the Conven¬tion on Migratory Species) and is also designed to meet the needs of other stakeholders, including business, civil society, and indigenous peoples. It was carried out by approximately 1,360 experts from 95 countries through four Working Groups and encompassed both a global assessment and 33 sub-global assessments. An indepen¬dent Review Board has overseen an extensive review by governments and experts. Each Working Group and each sub-global assessment has produced detailed technical assessment reports