Integrated Ecosystem Assessment of Western China

Western Development is an important strategy of China Government. The ecological environment in the western region of China is very fragile, and any improper human activity or resource utilization will lead to irrecoverable ecological degradation. Therefore, the integrated ecosystem assessment in the western region of China is of great significance to the Western Development Strategy. This project, Integrated Ecosystem Assessment of Western China (MAWEC), will provide very important scientific foundations for both the central and local governments to make decisions on ecological construction, thus assuring the successful implementation of the Western Development Strategy. Meanwhile, MAWEC as one of the MA sub-global assessments is contributing to strengthen capability in boosting the development of the ecological science, interaction between different subjects, and combination between scientific research and practice, and pushing forward international cooperation in the relevant fields. Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) is a four-year international cooperation project. The purpose of the project is to meet the demands of the decision makers for scientific information about interrelation between ecosystem services and human well-being (http://www.milleniumassessment.org). UN Secretary-General Kofi Anan announced the commencement of MA in June 2001, and the major assessment reports were and will be published successively in 2003-2005. MA focuses on the linkages between ecosystems and human well-being and, in particular, on " ecosystem services. " In terms of MA, an ecosystem is a dynamic complex of plant, animal, and microorganism communities and the nonliving environment interacting as a functional unit. The MA deals with the full range of ecosystems-from those relatively undisturbed, such as natural forests, to landscapes with mixed patterns of human use, to ecosystems intensively managed and modified by humans, such as agricultural land and urban areas. Ecosystem services are the benefits people obtain from ecosystems. These include provisioning services such as food, water, timber, and fiber; regulating services that affect climate, floods, disease, wastes, and water quality; cultural services that provide recreational, aesthetic, and spiritual benefits; and supporting services such as soil formation, photosynthesis, and nutrient cycling (Figure 1.1). The human species, while buffered against environmental changes by culture and technology, is ultimately fully dependent on the flow of ecosystem services. On the one hand, the impact of ecosystem degradation on human well-being and economic development is increasing sharply with each passing day, and on the other hand, proper ecosystem control for eliminating poverty and achieving sustainable development provides people with hard-won opportunities. Right due to full understanding …