The EcoHealth Concept

Ecosystem health is a holistic vision that balances human needs and aspirations with the fundamental need to maintain the proper functioning of the earth’s life-support systems. Healthy ecosystems are characterized in terms of vigor (productivity), organization (diversity) and resilience (capacity to bounce back from disturbance). Healthy ecosystems maintain their biodiversity, provide sustainable sources for food, fuel, fiber, and potable water, and are supportive of human health and livelihoods. Ecosystem health is not about achieving “tradeoffs” between economic and ecological objectives. Rather, it is about finding ways and means by which we may achieve human goals without rendering our ecosystems dysfunctional.