Our livelihoods fundamentally rely on the benefits we gain from ecosystems such as the supply of fresh water, the attenuation of extreme weather events (flood and heat control), nutrient cycling or recreational services. However, sufficient availability of ecosystem services cannot be taken for granted because this depends on the state of ecosystems. Since we are increasingly exploiting ecosystems all around the globe for our resource-hungry economic activities, we are facing sweeping environmental and ecological crises.

Promising approaches to deal with the challenges of global change are built on a profound understanding of ecosystems at regional and local levels. Learn more about why ecology matters …