The MA will produce the largest scientific assessment ever of ecosystems and human well-being – the baseline of knowledge on what is the current state of ecosystem services and human well-being, what have been the historical trends in ecosystem changes and their impact on people, what are the future prospects and the policy response options for ecosystem management.

Over the next several months a series of synthesis and summary reports will be published. Reports can be ordered in bound book format from Island Press and electronic versions will be posted on this site as available. The following reports are currently available:

• Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Synthesis Report Summary
• Biodiversity and Human Well-being: Biodiversity Synthesis
• Biodiversity and Human Well-being: Desertification Synthesis
• Biodiversity and Human Well-being: Wetlands and Water Synthesis
• Biodiversity and Human Well-being: Health Synthesis
• Biodiversity and Human Well-being: Opportunities and Challenges for Business and Industry

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The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Synthesis Report presents a synthesis and integration of the findings of the four MA Working Groups (Condition and Trends, Scenarios, Responses, and Sub-Global Assessments).

This synthesis is organized around the core questions originally posed to the assessment: How have ecosystems and their services changed? What has caused these changes? How have these changes affected human well-being? How might ecosystems change in the future and what are the implications for human well-being? And what options exist to enhance the conservation of ecosystems and their contribution to human well-being?

This Synthesis Report does not provide a comprehensive summary of each of the four MA Working Group reports. Readers are encouraged to review the findings of these reports separately.

The second Millennium Ecosystem Assessment report, Biodiversity and Human Well–being: Biodiversity, synthesizes and integrates findings related to biological diversity from the four MA Working Groups: Conditions and Trends, Scenarios, Responses and Sub-global Assessments, in response to requests for information received through the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

The key findings in this report highlighted by the CBD are:

• In the last 50 years, human actions have changed the diversity of life on the planet more than at any other time in history. Our activities have lifted many people out of poverty, but at the price of a loss of biodiversity. If we continue down this road, we will reduce biological diversity, with life-threatening consequences.
• Biodiversity is the foundation for human well-being. Not only does it provide the materials we need for food, clothing and shelter, but also gives us security, health and freedom of choice. The current pace and rhythm of our activities are harming ecosystems, consuming biological resources and putting at risk the well-being of future generations.
• Human activities are leading to the loss of the variety of life. Population increase and economic activity, fuelled by technological change and our patterns of political and cultural life are placing undue pressure on ecosystems. Our actions are changing habitats, the climate, overexploiting resources, creating pollution and promoting the spread of invasive alien species. If current patterns continue, the loss of biodiversity will accelerate, not diminish
• In the past, actions and programs that promoted conservation and the sustainable use of biological diversity limited biodiversity loss. This is promising, but we are not doing enough. To further reduce and stop the loss of biodiversity will require a whole host of new and stronger actions. Sustainable human development remains the primary goal and we need to strengthen the range and power of our ability to respond to biodiversity loss.
• The size of the task ahead of us is so great that the 2010 biodiversity target will only realistically be achieved in certain areas and regions if we engage in substantial efforts. This sobering conclusion is not hopeless. Humankind can choose to act now for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity if it changes the way it is causing change, carefully chooses the ways it responds to change and makes the right tradeoffs.

The Desertification Synthesis report integrates findings of the MA related to current state and future trends of desertification and its impacts on ecosystems and human well-being, and is organized around a set of key information needs identified by the CCD. The report is underpinned by the conceptual framework for the MA, which assumes that people are integral parts of ecosystems and that a dynamic interaction exists between people and other parts of ecosystems. The changing human condition drives—both directly and indirectly—changes in ecosystems, thereby causing changes in human well-being. At the same time, social, economic, and cultural factors unrelated to ecosystems change the human condition, and many natural forces influence ecosystems. Although the MA emphasizes the linkages between ecosystems and human well-being, it recognizes that people’s actions stem also from considerations of the intrinsic value of species and ecosystems, irrespective of their utility for someone else.

This report presents a synthesis and integration of the findings of the four MA Working Groups (Condition and Trends, Scenarios, Responses, and Sub-global Assessments). It does not, however, provide a comprehensive summary of each of those Working Group reports, and readers are encouraged to also review those findings. It is organized around the core questions originally posed to the MA:

• How has desertification affected ecosystems and human well-being?
• What are the main causes of desertification?
• Who is affected by desertification?
• How might desertification affect human well-being in the future?
• What options exist to avoid or reverse the negative impacts of desertification?
• How can we improve our understanding of desertification and its impacts?

The Wetlands and Water Synthesis, synthesizing the findings of the MA on inland, coastal, and near-shore marine wetlands, is the key product of the MA for the Ramsar Convention. The synthesis stresses the link between wetlands and water and will help set the future agenda for Ramsar. The report covers the range of wetlands as defined by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. These include inland wetlands (such as swamps, marshes, lakes, rivers, peatlands, and underground water habitats); coastal and near-shore marine wetlands (such as coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, and estuaries); and human-made wetlands (such as rice fields (paddies), dams, reservoirs, and fish ponds).

This report presents a synthesis and integration of the findings of the four MA Working Groups (Condition and Trends, Scenarios, Responses, and Sub-global Assessments). It does not, however, provide a comprehensive summary of each of those Working Group reports, and readers are encouraged to also review those findings. It is organized around the following topics:

• Distribution of Wetlands and Their Species
• Wetland Services
• Drivers of Loss and Change to Wetland Ecosystems
• Human Well-Being
• Scenarios for the Future of Wetlands
• Responses for the Wise Use of Wetlands

The World Health Organization published this report, examining the linkages between ecosystems and human health. The Health Synthesis report looks as how ecosystem change and how various management decisions affect human health. The report considers the role of ecosystems in achieving the Millennium Development Goals with a particular focus on health.

This report presents a synthesis and integration of the findings of the four MA Working Groups (Condition and Trends, Scenarios, Responses, and Sub-global Assessments). It does not, however, provide a comprehensive summary of each of those Working Group reports, and readers are encouraged to also review those findings. It is organized around the core questions originally posed to the MA:

• Why do ecosystems matter to human health?
• How have ecosystems changed and what are the health implications?
• How might ecosystems change and what would be the health implications?
• What actions are required to address the health consequences of ecosystem change?
• How can priorities be established for actions to address the health consequences of ecosystem change?
• What are the policy implications of the most robust findings and key uncertainties?

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) is a scientific assessment of the consequences of ecosystem change for human well-being. The assessment provides a state-of-the-art scientific appraisal of the condition and trends in the world’s ecosystems and the services they provide (such as clean water, food, forest products, flood control, and natural resources). The assessment also analyzed options to restore, conserve, or enhance the sustainable use of ecosystems and their contributions to human well-being.

The Opportunities and Challenges for Business and Industry report synthesizes the take-home messages of the MA for the business community throughout the industrial and developing world. It begins by highlighting key MA findings with particular relevance for businesses large and small. The report then provides an interpretation of the significance of these findings for business and industry, including a checklist of questions designed to help tailor the general findings of the MA to a particular business.

This report was prepared by a panel of assessment authors and representatives of businesses and partner organizations, academic experts, and members of the NGO community. It provides a portal for businesses into the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment.