Ecosystems are the planet’s life-support systems for humans and all other forms of life. Human biology requires food water, clean air, shelter, and relative climate constancy. Other health benefits include those derived from having a full complement of species, intact watersheds, climate regulation, and genetic diversity. Escalating human pressure on the environment can lead to direct health impacts, for instance, climate change impacts on agricultural production can lead to malnutrition, susceptibility to infectious diseases and other ailments. Human health is also impacted indirectly by environmental changes in the distribution of productive ecosystems and in the availability of food, water, and energy supplies. These changes will affect the distribution of infectious diseases, nutritional status, and patterns of human settlement.The Palgrave Handbook of Ecosystems and Human Well-Being provides readers (practitioners, academics, researchers) with a comprehensive interdisciplinary reference on how various measures and actions at the local, national, regional, and global scale can mitigate environmental degradation and enhance the resilience of individuals and populations to ecosystem change. In particular, the Palgrave Handbook of Ecosystems and Human Well-Being provides readers with expert knowledge on legal, economic, financial, institutional, social, behavioural, technological, and cognitive measures and actions at the local, national, regional, and international levels in locations of differing climates and varying income levels that aim to prevent, limit, or manage environmental degradation and protect individuals and populations from the adverse consequences of ecosystem change to reduce current and future health risks.
