Understanding the Contribution of the Environment to Human Well-Being

The report examines how ecosystem services—provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting—directly impact human well-being, particularly for poor and indigenous communities. It highlights that poverty is a multidimensional issue often tied to environmental degradation and lack of resource access. Using frameworks like the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, the document argues for integrating ecosystem-based policies with poverty-alleviation measures to build resilience against climate change and environmental shocks. It emphasizes that without such integration, environmental protection policies can inadvertently increase poverty through maladaptation or by restricting essential livelihood access.

• Human well-being is fundamentally dependent on the conservation and sustainable use of ecosystems, which provide essential services such as food, water, fuel, fibre, and climate regulation.
• Poverty is a multidimensional phenomenon linked to the environment through four key dimensions: livelihoods, resilience to environmental risks, health, and economic development.
• In Canada, remote First Nations communities are particularly dependent on ecosystem services for food, clean water, medicinal plants, and traditional livelihoods such as trapping and fishing.
• The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) framework identifies five core elements of human well-being: necessary material for a good life, health, good social relations, security, and freedom and choice.
• Environmental protection policies can inadvertently increase poverty if they limit access to essential resources without providing alternatives, leading to maladaptation.
• Ecosystem-based policies, such as restoring wetlands or mangroves, are critical for reducing the vulnerability of poor populations to climate change, flooding, and economic shocks.

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} }