Understanding the Contribution of the Environment to Human Well-Being

This report reviews literature on the linkages between ecosystem services and human well-being, with a focus on how these relationships intersect with poverty. It examines conceptual frameworks like the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and discusses the necessity of integrating ecosystem-based policies with poverty-alleviating measures to build community resilience, particularly for those whose livelihoods depend directly on natural resources.

• Human well-being is fundamentally dependent on the management, conservation, and sustainable use of ecosystems. Intact ecosystems provide essential services—including the provision of food, water, fuel, and fibre, as well as climate regulation—that support income generation in sectors such as forestry, fishing, agriculture, and tourism.
• Ecosystem services are categorized into four primary types: provisioning services (products like food and fresh water), regulating services (benefits from ecosystem processes such as climate regulation and water purification), cultural services (non-material benefits like spiritual enrichment and recreation), and supporting services (necessary for the production of all other services, such as soil formation).
• Poverty is a multidimensional issue linked to the environment through four key dimensions: livelihoods (dependence on ecosystems for basic needs and income), resilience (vulnerability to natural disasters and shocks), health (environmental risk factors contributing to over 80 per cent of WHO-reported diseases), and economic development (direct and indirect contributions of environmental quality to employment).
• The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) framework identifies five core constituents of human well-being: the necessary material for a good life, health, good social relations, security, and freedom and choice. It also introduces 'ecological security' as a sixth freedom, defined as the minimum level of ecological stock required to ensure a sustainable flow of ecosystem services.
• Public policy and regional planning often fail to recognize ecosystem-poverty linkages, leading to sub-optimal land-use decisions. In some cases, environmental protection measures can inadvertently increase poverty if they limit access to resources without providing alternatives, such as when forestry regeneration closures prevent livestock grazing.
• Ecosystem-based policies aim to reduce the vulnerability of poor populations by preserving and restoring natural ecosystems that provide protection against hazards. For example, coastal ecosystems like mangroves and coral reefs offer natural shoreline protection from storms and flooding.
• In Canada, remote First Nations communities are particularly dependent on ecosystem services for well-being, including food from hunting, medicinal plants, and traditional livelihoods. These communities are experiencing climate-driven shifts, such as abnormally dry summers, deteriorating water quality, and changes in animal distribution, which can lead to food insecurity.

APA

Bizikova, L. (2011). Understanding the Contribution of the Environment to Human Well-Being. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/understanding_contribution_environment.pdf

Chicago

Bizikova, Livia. Understanding the Contribution of the Environment to Human Well-Being. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2011. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/understanding_contribution_environment.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bizikova |first1=Livia |title=Understanding the Contribution of the Environment to Human Well-Being |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=October 2011 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/understanding_contribution_environment.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bizikova2011understanding, author = {Bizikova, Livia}, title = {{Understanding the Contribution of the Environment to Human Well-Being}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2011}, month = oct, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/understanding_contribution_environment.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }