Dear Colleagues:

On January 19, 2006, Island Press will publicly release the comprehensive findings of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, an unprecedented 5-year effort by more than 1300 scientists in 95 countries to understand the complex interactions between human well-being and environmental sustainability (http://www.MAweb.org).

Orchestrated by the United Nations and funded in part by the United Nations Foundation, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment demonstrates, with scientific certainty, how human behavior has altered ecosystems more rapidly and dramatically in the last 50 years than in any other point of human history. But, perhaps more importantly, thanks to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment we now have a roadmap for helping define how we can slow or reverse this ecosystem degradation and build a path toward sustainable growth and human development.

Greater attention to ecosystem health not only will help preserve important species and habitat, but as the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment shows, ecosystems also provide vital natural services upon which the global economy and human development depend, from climate regulation to water purification. Recently, the esteemed journal Scientific American devoted considerable attention to the relationship between ecosystems and health, economic growth, and poverty alleviation embodied in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. I encourage you to take a look at the featured articles to discover some of the win-win opportunities that come along with greater investment in ecosystem services.

You can access the Scientific American article, "The Climax of Humanity," at: http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa006&colID=1&articleID=00031010-F7DA-13\ 04-B72683414B7F0000.

If you would like more information, or to get involved, please contact Erika Harms, Senior Program Officer for Biodiversity, at eharms@unfoundation.org. If you are in the D.C. area and are interested in attending Island Press's briefing on the Millennium Assessment book launch - January 19th at 9:00am at the National Press Club - please RSVP to Kathy Dismukes at Island Press at 202-232-7933 or kdismukes@islandpress.org.

Best wishes for a happy New Year,

Mary Evelyn Tucker & John Grim