This is part of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment report Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Opportunities and Challenges for Business and Industry

The MA web site www.MAweb.org provides additional information about the MA, instructions for downloading or ordering the different MA reports and an online supplement to this synthesis for business and industry.

The web site also includes an online appendix to this synthesis. This appendix contains short summaries in which a number of authors drawn from a range of industry sectors provide their perspectives on the implications of the MA for their industry. These overviews are intended to provide sector-based examples of the challenges posed by the MA findings as well as the possibility of expanding markets that are evolving and developing in response to ongoing environmental changes and accompanying legislation.

The authors of these sectoral reactions to the MA are individuals familiar with the progress that has been made in addressing ecosystem services issues in parts of a sector, usually in single companies or groups of leading companies. The analysis of each example is not intended to be representative of the position or performance of the entire sector, but to provide evidence of positive change in the sectors covered. These analyses have been conducted outside of the MA peer-reviewed process, and as such are not approved findings of the MA but rather the views of the authors.

We invite others to add their perspectives and experiences to this web site. Our hope is that it will become an ongoing resource and platform for dialogue and learning about how business and industry can use and build upon the findings of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment.

Initial postings to the appendix were written by Andrew Bennett, Kristie Ebi, John Ehrmann, James Griffiths, Glen Prickett, David Richards, Jorge Rivera, Steve Percy, and the staff and members of the International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA).

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Publications

Technical Volumes (available from Island Press)

Ecosystems and Human Well-being: A Framework for Assessment
Current State and Trends: Findings of the Condition and Trends Working Group, Volume 1
Scenarios: Findings of the Scenarios Working Group, Volume 2
Policy Responses: Findings of the Responses Working Group, Volume 3
Multiscale Assessments: Findings of the Sub-global Assessments Working Group, Volume 4
Our Human Planet: Summary for Decision-makers

Synthesis Reports (available at MAweb.org)

• Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Synthesis
  
• Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Biodiversity Synthesis
  
• Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Desertification Synthesis
  
• Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Health Synthesis
  
• Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Wetlands Synthesis
  
• Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Opportunities and Challenges for Business and Industry

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Disclaimer: This chapter is taken wholly from, or contains information that was originally written for the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment as published by the World Resources Institute. The content has not been modified by the Encyclopedia of Earth.