Natural Services Research Articles

SIMPLE-G: A multiscale framework for integration of economic and biophysical determinants of sustainability

We introduce SIMPLE-G, a Simplified International Model of agricultural Prices, Land use, and the Environment- Gridded version, which is a novel tool for evaluating sustainability policies in a global context while factoring in local heterogeneity in land and water resources and natural ecosystem services. This multi-scale model can provide boundary conditions for local decision makers, as well as capturing feedback from local policies to national and global scales. To illustrate its value in environmental analysis, we provide two applications of the model. First, we quantify the local stresses on land and water resources due to global changes in population, income, and productivity. Second, we quantify the global impacts of local policy responses and adaptations to water scarcity.

Expert Knowledge and Perceptions about the Ecosystem Services and Natural Values of Hungarian Fishpond Systems

In the past few decades, multiple theoretical studies have highlighted the diverse capabilities of freshwater fishpond systems in the provision of water-related ecosystem services (ESs). However, practical studies to confirm this statement are still lacking in the scientific literature compared to other ecosystems. In this paper, we reveal the ESs of three semi-intensively managed fishpond systems in Hungary and assess the knowledge and perceptions of local experts about them and their main interactions. Between 2017 and 2019, we performed participatory research on the fishpond systems of Biharugra, Akasztó, and Szeged, conducting a total of 22 structured interviews with experts from all related stakeholder groups. Based on the interviews, we identified 16 actively used ESs (4 provisioning, 7 regulating, and 5 cultural ESs) and also revealed 19 main forms of impacts (14 positive and 5 negative) related to them. Despite their different perceptions and demands associated with fish farms, almost every expert articulated the role of semi-intensive fish farming in the sustenance of water-related natural values and ecosystem services, endangered by the ongoing effects of global warming. Besides confirming the theoretical statements of previous studies, these findings could also provide information for subsequent land-use planning, with the aim of creating more sustainable, multifunctionally used fishpond systems.

Editorial for Special Issue “Radar Technology for Coastal Areas and Open Sea Monitoring”

The sea has always played a fundamental role in the social and economic development, as well as in the shaping and functioning of natural ecosystems and services [...]

Political Aspect as the Main Constraint to Realize Green Growth In East Kalimantan

The journey of economic growth and development is on an unsustainable trajectory, marked by conditions that endanger natural assets and environmental services, both of which form the basis of long-term economic growth and human well-being. Indonesia is the 6th largest emitter in the world, while East Kalimantan itself is the 6th largest emitter nationally. The fundamental question that often arises in the author's mind is "can economic prosperity be obtained by marginalizing natural factors which are then deemed insignificant? In response to this, a concept known as green growth emerged. To discuss this, the author uses qualitative methods. This method provides a form of data collection and analysis that focuses on emphasizing and understanding meaning. The data collected comes from official documents and other supporting documents. The author makes interpretations of what is seen, heard and understood. The results showed that in order to achieve Green economic growth in East Kalimantan, political, economic and social aspects must be considered.Political aspects are the most important thing because policies play a key role in realizing green growth, policy makers can build green growth strategies, with the help of their commitments. However, the political, social and economic aspects are interrelated and mutually supportive.

Understanding human and nature interaction outcomes for sustaining tourist destinations: An example of Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve, China

Studying interactions of coupled human-natural system components provides better understanding of their influences on ecosystem health and improves effectiveness of managing such systems. To understand how human-nature interactions determine the sustainability of tourist destinations, using Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve as an example, we analyzed how human-nature interactions influenced the reserve’s ecological services extraction, environmental conditions, and corresponding management actions through a historical lens. We first developed a model that represented the components and their interactions under coupled human and natural systems framework. We then summarized such interactions and their resulted environmental conditions in a time sequence. Human activities have changed Jiuzhaigou system from largely human-nature balanced to partially degraded, and then to recovered and intensively managed system during the past six decades. Such changes resulted from human-nature interactions predominantly driven by overuse of natural resources, responded to by natural components in loss of ecosystem functions, and then responded by management actions to restore the functions. The increased nutrient and sediment, modified benthic communities, and decreased travertine (crystal substrate formed by the precipitation of carbonate minerals) indicate that tourism pressure in Jiuzhaigou under the current intensive management strategy has exceeded its carrying capacity. Much more aggressive environmental friendly tourism policies are needed to sustain this valuable tourist destination. Our findings based on coupled human-natural system framework analysis have important implications for sustaining natural resources and ecological services, and the governance of both for the management of nature reserves.

The Real Wealth of Nations – Natural Capital and Ecosystem Services

I want to make an argument about the incredible value of our planet and its functioning ecosystems. Our economy, our society, and our very lives depend on the earth and its functioning ecosystems. I also want to explain how our economic system corrupts our minds into not appreciating this value.

Accounting for natural capital has cross-cutting relevance for UK public sector decision-making

Countries have made a range of international commitments to compile and use natural capital accounts. While processes and methods for compiling natural capital accounts are now well defined, mainstreaming natural capital accounting (NCA) across public sector decision-making remains a practical challenge. This raises the question: which domains of public sector decision-making are important for a phased introduction of NCA? Here, we address a subset of this evidence gap through systematic analysis of the policy-relevance of natural capital accounts in the United Kingdom (UK). We identify 85 UK public sector bodies whose activities can affect the extent or condition of natural capital assets, and 60 bodies whose policy objectives are qualitatively contingent on natural capital stocks or services. For each of these 60 public sector bodies natural capital management (1) is a core policy priority, (2) impacts on policy objectives by regulating natural hazards, or (3) provides ecosystem goods and services that support policy objectives concerning health and well-being. Our findings highlight the considerable cross-cutting relevance of natural capital for public sector decision-making, and the need to account for natural capital in policy domains beyond those focused narrowly on environmental policy and management, e.g. through coordination structures that feature cross-departmental representation.

The potential for wildflower interventions to enhance natural enemies and pollinators in commercial apple orchards is limited by other management practices

Modern fruit production has successfully increased yields and fruit quality to meet market demands mainly through intensification and the use of Plant Protection Products (PPPs). Due to the associated environmental impacts and consumers increasingly demanding food produced more sustainably, the tree fruit sector is seeking to reduce its reliance on PPPs. Despite intensification, apple production is still highly dependent on ecosystem services, including pest regulation and pollination. The aim of this study was to investigate the response of natural enemies and pollinators in commercial apple orchards to the provision of a wildflower habitat. It was hypothesised that the abundance and diversity of beneficial invertebrate species would be enhanced leading to an increased control of apple pests and enhanced pollination of apple blossom. We also investigated the effect of orchard pesticide toxicity on natural enemies and pest regulation services and how responses varied between apple cultivars (Jazz and Braeburn). The study was carried out in five orchards of each apple variety across Kent (UK), using a split-plot experimental design. At each site, a one-hectare orchard plot was established with wildflower strips in alleyways between rows of trees and compared with a one-hectare control plot where alleyways were managed conventionally with regular cutting. Responses of natural enemies and pollinators were recorded over a period of three and four years, respectively. The presence of wildflower strips did not contribute significantly towards the delivery of natural pest regulation or pollination services. However, hoverfly diversity and species richness were greater in orchards with wildflower strips, and whilst this was not associated with increased rates of pest regulation, such a response could potentially provide more resilient pest regulation and pollination services. Braeburn orchards had higher bee abundance, and pest predation rates, which were associated with a greater abundance of earwigs, compared to Jazz orchards. Of key significance for growers is that high values of cumulative pesticide toxicity negatively affected natural enemy populations, especially earwigs. If growers want to support natural enemies and wild pollinators in modern apple orchards following the principles of ecological intensification, they need to consider both the types and frequency of pesticide sprays used, in conjunction with interventions aimed at promoting beneficial invertebrates.

Natural capital of an enterprise: accounting and analytical dimension

The economic justification of natural capital in the enterprise management system is becoming important in connection with the spread of the concept of environmental economics. However, the concept of «natural capital» arises, which requires the introduction of changes in the accounting and analytical system of the enterprise. Therefore, the study defines the essence of natural capital as a set of renewable and non-renewable natural resources (assets) and services for their conservation, restoration and rational use, implemented by business entities or within the assimilation potential of natural resources. The influence of natural capital components on accounting and analytical support of economic processes is also analyzed, and a mechanism for the influence of natural capital on the management of environmental activities of the enterprise is developed. This allowed us to take into account the environmental influence and risks of business entities and justify the functioning of the enterprise’s management system in the conditions of using natural capital for the following areas: organizational structure, production process, strategic planning, accounting and analytical system.

Facts about Wildlife Diseases: Bats and Coronaviruses

Bats make valuable contributions to natural ecosystems and provide benefits to people. We explain below how some unusual physical adaptations allow bats to harbor viruses that cause no harm to themselves but cause grave illness in humans. Transmission of these pathogens from bats to humans can occur only when humans have close interactions with bats and contact with their bodily fluids. A number of strategies could reduce the likelihood of bat viruses crossing over to humans, such as restrictions on harvesting of bats as bushmeat, curtailment of live wildlife markets, enforcement of regulations on illegal wildlife trade, and limiting deforestation and cave vandalism to reduce movement of bats into close proximity to humans. Enhancing efforts to protect bat roosts can reduce the likelihood of future zoonotic disease pandemics while also increasing the natural pest reduction services bats provide as they consume insects that cause damage to agronomic crops. Protecting bat roosts can also benefit human health by ensuring bats continue to consume mosquitos responsible for transmitting diseases such as Zika, Dengue, Malaria, and Chikungunya.

Validating Dynamically Downscaled Climate Projections for Mountainous Watersheds Using Historical Runoff Data Coupled with the Distributed Hydrologic Soil Vegetation Model (DHSVM)

The performance of dynamically downscaled climate fields with respect to observed historical stream runoff has been assessed at basin scale using a physically distributed hydrologic model (DHSVM). The dynamically downscaled climate fields were generated by running the Weather Research & Forecasting (WRF) model at 4-km horizontal resolution with boundary conditions derived from the Climate Forecast System Reanalysis. Six hydrologic models were developed using DHSVM for six mountainous tributary watersheds of the Jordan River basin at hourly time steps and 30-m spatial resolution. The size of the watersheds varies from 19 km2 to 130 km2. The models were calibrated for a 6-year period from water year (WY) 1999–2004, using the observed meteorological data from the nearby Snow Telemetry (SNOTEL) sites of the Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS). Calibration results showed a very good fit between simulated and observed streamflow with an average Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) greater than 0.77, and good to very good fits in terms of other statistical parameters like percent bias (PBIAS) and coefficient of determination (R2). A 9-year period (WY 2001–2009) was selected as the historical baseline, and stream discharges for this period were simulated using dynamically downscaled climate fields as input to the calibrated hydrologic models. Historical baseline results showed a satisfactory fit of simulated and observed streamflow with an average NSE greater than 0.45 and a coefficient of determination above 0.50. Using volumetric analysis, it has been found that the total volume of water simulated using downscaled climate projections for the entire historical baseline period for all six watersheds is 4% less than the observed amount representing a very good estimation in terms of percent error volume (PEV). However, in the case of individual watersheds, analysis of total annual water volumes showed that estimated total annual water volumes were higher than the observed for Big Cottonwood, City Creek, Millcreek and lower than the observed total annual volume of water for Little Cottonwood, Red Butte Creek, and Parleys Littledell, demonstrating similar characteristics obtained from the calibration results. Seasonal analysis showed that the models can capture the flow volume observed for Big Cottonwood, City Creek and Red Butte Creek during the peak season, and the models can capture the flow volume observed for all the watershed satisfactorily except Big Cottonwood during the dry season. Study results indicated that the dynamically downscaled climate projections used in this study performed satisfactorily in terms of stream runoff, total flow volume, and seasonal flow analyses based on different statistical tests, and can satisfactorily capture flow patterns and flow volume for most of the watersheds considering the uncertainties associated with the study.

Natural and anthropogenic driving forces as key elements in the Lower Danube Basin\u2013South-Eastern Carpathians\u2013North-Western Black Sea coast area lakes: a broken stepping stones for fish in a climatic change scenario?

BackgroundClimate changes influence the ecosystems and induce potential risks regarding the natural products and services; the human society should predict and adapt in time to these coming global challenges. This research highlights a possible fragmentation of some of the Lower Danube River Basin lentic ecosystems fish populations in a climate change scenario.ResultsThe studied climate change potential events will affect 18 fish species of economic interest and eight of conservation interest and will induce disorder in some of the Lower Danube specific type of fish communities. The studied area was identified as a significant hot spot regarding the fish fauna ecological status major hazard, in a possible climate change (heating–drought–water depth decreasing) sequence of potential future events. Primarily the southern lakes of the studied area can be negatively influenced by the decreasing of the lakes water quality and quantity, some of the spawning habitats will vanish, some habitats and species will disappear, suspended sediment and nutrient levels in water will increase, eutrophication phenomenon will increase, the hydrological connectivity will diminish, fish associations’ structure will significantly change, etc.ConclusionsThe climate changes trend in the Lower Danube Basin will affect the studied lakes ecological state and associated fish communities; mitigating measures are urgently needed. The future potential relative isolation of researched lakes by the surrounding hydrographical nets, for safety reasons of human communities or to convert inland areas should be banned specially for the lakes: Balta Domnească, Razelm, Tăbăcărie, Siutghiol, Taşaul, Tatlageac, Sinoe, Potcoava, Snagov, Comana, Victoria Gheormane, Dunărea Veche, Oltina, and Bugeac. Some of the researched lakes should be managed as wetlands of international importance and as important stepping stone areas for the fish fauna of the Danube Basin: Snagov, Comana, Victoria Gheormane, Dunărea Veche, Oltina, and Bugeac.

Economic, land use, and ecosystem services impacts of Rwanda's Green Growth Strategy: An application of the IEEM+ESM platform

We develop and link the Integrated Economic-Environmental Modeling (IEEM) Platform to ecosystem services modeling (ESM). The IEEM+ESM Platform is an innovative decision-making framework for exploring complex public policy goals and elucidating synergies and trade-offs between alternative policy portfolios. The IEEM+ESM approach is powerful in its ability to shed light on (i) change in land use and ecosystem services driven by public policy and the supply and demand responses of businesses and households; and (ii) impacts on standard economic indicators of concern to Ministries of Finance such as gross domestic product and employment, as well as changes in wealth and ecosystem services. The IEEM+ESM approach is being adopted rapidly and by the end of 2020, IEEM+ESM Platforms will be implemented for about 25 countries. To demonstrate the insights generated by the IEEM+ESM approach, we apply it to the analysis of alternative green growth strategies in Rwanda, a country that has made strong progress in reducing poverty and enhancing economic growth in the last 15 years. The case of Rwanda is particularly compelling as it faces intense pressure on its natural capital base and ecosystem services, already with the highest population density in Africa, which is projected to double by 2050. In applying IEEM+ESM and comparing the outcomes of Rwanda's green growth policies, increasing fertilization of agricultural crops shows the largest economic gains but also trade-offs in environmental quality reflected through higher nutrient export and reduced water quality. Combining crop fertilization with forest plantations better balances critical ecosystem services and their role in underpinning economic development as Rwanda progresses toward its target of middle-income status by 2035. This application to Rwanda's green growth strategy demonstrates the value-added of the IEEM+ESM approach in generating results that speak to both economic outcomes and impacts on market and non-market ecosystem services.

Research and application of artificial intelligence service platform for the power field

Conventional analysis methods cannot fully meet the business needs of power grids. At present, several artificial intelligence (AI) projects in a single business field are competing with each other, and the interfaces between the systems lack unified specifications. Therefore, it is imperative to establish a comprehensive service platform. In this paper, an AI platform framework for power fields is proposed; it adopts the deep learning technology to support natural language processing and computer vision services. On one hand, it can provide an algorithm, a model, and service support for power- enterprise applications, and on the other hand, it can provide a large number of heterogeneous data processing, algorithm libraries, intelligent services, model managements, typical application scenarios, and other services for different levels of business personnel. The establishment of the platform framework could break data barrier, improve portability of technology, avoid the investment waste caused by repeated constructions, and lay the foundation for the construction of “platform + application + service” ecological chain.

Realising co-benefits for natural capital and ecosystem services from solar parks: A co-developed, evidence-based approach

The number of ground-mounted solar parks is increasing across the world in response to energy decarbonisation. Solar parks offer an opportunity to deliver ecosystem co-benefits but there is also a risk that their development and operation may be detrimental to ecosystems. Consequently, we created the Solar Park Impacts on Ecosystem Services (SPIES) decision-support tool (DST) to provide evidence-based insight of the impacts of different solar park management practices on ecosystem services. The SPIES DST is underpinned by 704 pieces of evidence from 457 peer-reviewed academic journal articles that assessed the impacts of land management on ecosystem services, collated through a systematic review. Application to two operational solar parks evidences the commercial relevance of the SPIES DST and its potential to enable those responsible for designing and managing solar parks to maximise the ecosystem co-benefits and minimise detrimental effects. Further, evaluation using data from nine solar parks across the south of England demonstrates the validity of the DST outcomes. With the increasing land take for renewable energy infrastructure, DSTs, such as SPIES, that promote the co-delivery of other ecosystem benefits can help to ensure that the energy transition does not swap climate change for local scale ecosystem degradation, and potentially prompt improvements in ecosystem health.

Valuing natural capital and ecosystem services toward the goals of efficiency, fairness, and sustainability

Ecosystem services (ES) are the ecological characteristics, functions, or processes that directly or indirectly contribute to sustainable human wellbeing. The ecosystems that provide the services are ‘natural capital’ (NC) using the general definition of capital as a stock that yields a flow of services over time. But these concepts must be embedded in a whole systems view of the interdependencies between humans and the rest of nature, as espoused by ecological economics from its inception. Valuing NC and ES is therefore about assessing their contributions (in complex interaction with built, human, and social capital) toward the goal of sustainable wellbeing of the whole system of humans and the rest of nature. This recognizes that sustainable human wellbeing cannot be achieved without the wellbeing of the rest of nature. To achieve this, an integrated approach to valuation toward the three sub-goals of efficient allocation (E-value), fair distribution (F-value) and sustainable scale (S-value) is necessary. This article reviews these ideas, and discusses an agenda to improve understanding and valuation of NC and ES toward the goals of efficiency, fairness, and sustainability in a dynamic, whole systems context.

Marine natural capital and ecosystem services: An environmental accounting model

Healthy, resilient, and diverse marine ecosystems are capable of generating the biotic and abiotic components of natural capital stocks interacting and providing a bundle of ecosystem services vital to human well-being. Increasing pressures and impacts of human activities on marine ecosystems cause habitat degradation and biodiversity loss, and, as a consequence, seriously affect their capacity to provide benefits to humans. Integrated approaches capable of combining ecological and socioeconomic aspects are much needed to protect natural capital stocks and ensure the delivery of ecosystem services. In this context, marine protected areas (MPAs) are important tools for conserving biodiversity while promoting sustainable human activities. In this study, an interdisciplinary approach to the assessment of natural capital and ecosystem services in marine ecosystems was adopted. In particular, the emergy and eco-exergy accounting methods were jointly used to account for the biophysical value of natural capital stocks in the Mediterranean MPA “Punta Campanella”, located in Southern Italy. The assessment focused on four main macro-habitats: sciaphilic hard bottom (coralligenous bioconstructions), photophilic hard bottom, soft bottom, and Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds. The habitat Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds showed the highest value of eco-exergy density (3.58∙106 kJ m−2) while the highest value of emergy density resulted for the sciaphilic hard bottom habitat (4.94∙1012 sej m−2). The high eco-exergy value of Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds habitat is mainly due to the complex evolutionary history and high biomass density of the Posidonia oceanica seagrass. On the other hand, the high emergy value calculated for the sciaphilic hard bottom habitat reflects the high convergence of natural input flows for the generation of its biomass stocks and high biodiversity. In addition, to complement the biophysical assessment with an economic perspective, the emergy values of natural capital stocks were also converted into monetary units. The total value of natural capital stocks in the MPA resulted about 12 M€. Furthermore, a set of ecosystem services generated by Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds and Coralligenous bioconstructions was identified and their economic value was estimated (3.05 M€ and 0.62 M€, respectively). Finally, the value of natural capital and ecosystem services was also estimated by using a 3D bionomic map to consider the presence of Coralligenous bioconstructions and other habitats on cliffs characterizing the investigated MPA. This study highlighted the importance of Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds and Coralligenous bioconstructions in terms of both natural capital stocks and delivery of ecosystem services, confirming the need for their protection and conservation in marine and coastal management. The biophysical and economic values of natural capital stocks and ecosystem services, together with their spatial distribution in the MPA, can support local managers and policy makers in implementing and developing nature conservation strategies while ensuring the sustainable use of marine resources.

Quantifying interregional flows of multiple ecosystem services – A case study for Germany

Despite a growing number of national-scale ecosystem service (ES) assessments, few studies consider the impacts of ES use and consumption beyond national or regional boundaries. Interregional ES flows – ecosystem services “imported” from and “exported” to other countries – are rarely analyzed and their importance for global sustainability is little known. Here, we provide a first multi-ES quantification of a nation's use of ES from abroad. We focus on ES flows that benefit the population in Germany but are supplied outside German territory. We employ a conceptual framework recently developed to systematically quantify interregional ES flows. We address four types of interregional ES flows with: (i) biophysical flows of traded goods: cocoa import for consumption; (ii) flows mediated by migratory species: migration of birds providing pest control; (iii) passive biophysical flows: flood control along transboundary watersheds; and (iv) information flows: China's giant panda loan to the Berlin Zoo. We determined that: (i) Ivory Coast and Ghana alone supply around 53% of Germany's cocoa while major negative consequences for biodiversity occurred in Cameroon and Ecuador; (ii) Africa´s humid and sub-humid climate zones are important habitats for the majority of migratory bird species that provide natural pest control services in agricultural areas in Germany; (iii) Upstream watersheds outside the country add an additional 64% flood regulation services nationally, while Germany exports 40% of flood regulation services in neighboring, downstream countries; (iv) Information flows transported by the pandas were mainly related to political aspects and - contrary to our expectations - considerably less on biological and natural aspects. We discuss the implications of these results for international resource management policy and governance.

Additive negative effects of decadal warming and nitrogen addition on grassland community stability

Abstract Much recent research has explored how global warming and increased nitrogen (N) deposition, two important components of global environmental changes, influence the structure and functioning of natural ecosystems. However, how ecosystem dynamics respond to the combination of long‐term warming and N enrichment remains largely unexplored. We investigated the impact of warming and N addition on the temporal stability of plant communities in a decade‐long field experiment, conducted in a desert steppe in northern China, using a split‐plot design with warming as the main‐plot factor and N addition as the split‐plot factor. Long‐term warming and N addition had additive, negative effects on plant community stability. A warming‐induced decrease in species richness was not a significant driver of decreased community stability, which was instead driven by the decreased stability of dominant species under warming. On the other hand, a N‐induced decrease in community stability was ascribed to both decreased stability of dominant and common species and decreased asynchronous population dynamics under N addition. Synthesis. Our results suggest that ongoing anthropogenic environmental changes may have appreciable consequences for the stability of natural grassland functions and services while also highlighting the different mechanisms associated with the similar effects of climate warming and increased N deposition on grassland community stability.

Scientists' warning to humanity on the freshwater biodiversity crisis.

Freshwater ecosystems provide irreplaceable services for both nature and society. The quality and quantity of freshwater affect biogeochemical processes and ecological dynamics that determine biodiversity, ecosystem productivity, and human health and welfare at local, regional and global scales. Freshwater ecosystems and their associated riparian habitats are amongst the most biologically diverse on Earth, and have inestimable economic, health, cultural, scientific and educational values. Yet human impacts to lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands and groundwater are dramatically reducing biodiversity and robbing critical natural resources and services from current and future generations. Freshwater biodiversity is declining rapidly on every continent and in every major river basin on Earth, and this degradation is occurring more rapidly than in terrestrial ecosystems. Currently, about one third of all global freshwater discharges pass through human agricultural, industrial or urban infrastructure. About one fifth of the Earth's arable land is now already equipped for irrigation, including all the most productive lands, and this proportion is projected to surpass one third by midcentury to feed the rapidly expanding populations of humans and commensal species, especially poultry and ruminant livestock. Less than one fifth of the world's preindustrial freshwater wetlands remain, and this proportion is projected to decline to under one tenth by midcentury, with imminent threats from water transfer megaprojects in Brazil and India, and coastal wetland drainage megaprojects in China. The Living Planet Index for freshwater vertebrate populations has declined to just one third that of 1970, and is projected to sink below one fifth by midcentury. A linear model of global economic expansion yields the chilling prediction that human utilization of critical freshwater resources will approach one half of the Earth's total capacity by midcentury. Although the magnitude and growth of the human freshwater footprint are greater than is generally understood by policy makers, the news media, or the general public, slowing and reversing dramatic losses of freshwater species and ecosystems is still possible. We recommend a set of urgent policy actions that promote clean water, conserve watershed services, and restore freshwater ecosystems and their vital services. Effective management of freshwater resources and ecosystems must be ranked amongst humanity's highest priorities.