Ecosystem health and human health

Ecosystems are complex and highly susceptible to human activities. The relationships between ecosystems and humans are very strong but unfortunately often misunderstood by decisionmakers and other parts of our societies. It is important, therefore, that we begin to examine the linkages between human activity and the health of our ecosystems, at both the local and global scales. The challenge is to ensure that all levels of society are informed and thus able to make more sustainable and healthy decisions. With increasing populations and impacts, not only the health of humans can be in jeopardy but also the health of the ecosystems that support us. In this chapter, we examine the connections between human health and ecosystem health and the reasons for ignoring these links. The arguments that we present target three important topics that reach all nations - climate change, biodiversity, and agrosystems and food production - as they are global in their impacts. From these examples, it is possible to extract the main challenges that will face humanity in order to improve the sustainability and health of all ecosystems.