Restoring the health of the earth's ecosystems: A new challenge for the earth sciences

Abstract

Ecosystem Health takes the health concept to a new dimension. Traditionally the concept of health has been restricted to individuals and populations. However, it has become apparent that ecosystems also can become dysfunctional, particularly under stress from human activity. The International Society for Ecosystem Health has provided a forum for the evolution of methods of assessing ecosystem health, and for applications to environmental management. This emerging field requires collaboration from many areas, including importantly, the earth sciences. In this paper we articulate the concept of ecosystem health, review the history of the International Society, and illustrate the role of the earth sciences in ecosystem rehabilitation with a case study from Ostrobothnia, western Finland. Several of the rivers in the region suffer from acidification due to drainage and other alteration of sulphide rich soils. The study illustrates how limited areas with special geochemical characteristics can dominate the health of large systems.