he bottom line of all economies depends on protecting the Earth's natural ecosystems. It literally is a matter of survival. It is only recently that interdisciplinary teams of scientists and economists have begun to consider the economic value of nature's gifts in order to call attention to the danger we face if we lose them. Everything we know and love depend for their physical existence on our natural world.

Natural ecosystems deliver goods and services that are worth many trillions of dollars a year in economic terms, and the prosperity, in fact, the life of all societies depends on safe-guarding them. These services are the life-support systems that make it possible to live on Earth. Our natural ecosystems purify air and water, detoxify and recycle wastes, generate and maintain soil fertility, pollinate crops and other plants, regulate climate and help mitigate weather extremes like flood or drought. Without them, it would be like living on the moon--hard to imagine for a species like us who showed up after most of these services had been in operation for millions to billions of years.

Our natural ecosystems are the foundation for everything we depend on for life itself! Air pollution and other wastes from an exponentially growing human population is threatening our lives and that of many other animals and plants that make up the interdependent fabric of each intricate, interlocking ecosystem. Damage to these small parts are collectively affecting natural systems worldwide. In fact, even the Earth's climate may be changing at an unprecedented pace.

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