Abstract

World Resources 2000-2001, People and Ecosystems: The Fraying Web of Life focuses on the critical link between ecosystems and people and provides an overview of current global environmental and economic trends using hundreds of indicators in more than 150 countries.

Until now there has not been a comprehensive, formalised process to assess human damage to our ecosystems, to establish a baseline for future actions, or to disseminate information that would aid the formulation of better policies world-wide. This book is the first reliable, comprehensive base of evidence for taking stock and taking care of the world's diverse ecosystems.
• deals with the critical issues that focus on the link between ecosystems and people
• highlights the goods and services that ecosystems provide and illustrates the benefits of a better understanding and better management of the planet's natural wealth
• reports on pilot studies by leading scientists and international institutions assessing the state of the world's ecosystems - forests, croplands, grasslands, freshwater systems and coastal areas
• increases the understanding of human dependence on nature
• raises awareness of environmental threats
• provides examples of wise stewardship from all corners of the globe
• focuses on four main issues: population and human well-being, food and water security, consumption, energy and wastes, trace emissions since the Kyoto protocol
• gives data tables for more than 150 countries
It demonstrates the power of information and new digital technologies to transform the way we interact with our environment and is particularly important for environmentalists, scientists, professionals, journalists, policy-makers and students.

This special Millennium Edition of the World Resources Institute's biennial report published by Elsevier Science in September 2000 in partnership with the World Resources Institute, the UN Environment Program, the UN Development Programme and the World Bank.

NEW FROM APRIL 2001 -
http://www.enviromod.subnet.dk/Ecological and Environmental Modeling - An Interactive Internet Course

(M. Schwartz, University of California, Davis, CA, USA)
I really like the book...I intend to make heavy use of it for my Environmental Studies course.
Lecturer quote
(S. Krupa, University of Minnesota)
This is an excellent book for students in environmental sciences with emphasis on agriculture or natural resources. Most importantly it provides the critical global perspective...Extremely valuable resource for understanding sustainability of our resources.
Lecturer quote
(W.J. Manning, University of Massachusetts at Amherst)
The information is nicely packaged - good summary tables and diagrams and the text is easy to read...A comprehensive and usable reference for the nature and function of the world's ecosystems.
Lecturer quote
(D. Coventry, Department of Agronomy and Farming Systems, Adelaide University)
It is a joy to find a book with so many useful applications...a vast amount of useful data are given. The presentation and structure of the book is such that the reader can either spend time absorbing information in detail, or skipping through sections quickly, and not lose touch with the primary focus of the book...The book is an excellent text on approaches for studying global ecosystems, and the use of a systematic survey approach as the basis for such a study. The scope of this book is enormous...This book is a most valuable resource for a wide audience...
Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment Vol. 86, No. 1
This 'millennial edition'...offers a snapshot of the current condition of world ecosystems, the pressures they face and ways forward in protecting the little we have left...a cornucopia of detailed information on the state of the world's major ecosystems.
Bulletin of the British Ecological Society
(J. Gagneur, Universite Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France)
Presentations and illustrations are of very good quality. The book is easy to read and the information sends some shivers down one's spine like a good thriller...This kind of report brings a lot of information useful to all who are dealing with functioning and conservation of ecosystems, with education while supplying with updated and accurate data sets, without speaking of economists and politologs. But one could wish this book could be read by everyone.
Ann. Limnol. 37 (3)