Ecosystems help humans in numerous ways, such as providing food, erosion control, clean drinking water, pollination, and flood protection. Our faculty work to document these benefits, or services, so that decision makers and institutions can develop creative ways to protect ecosystems, including through incentives and new regulatory structures. The research builds from a 2005 global assessment that shows how ecosystem services had been degraded over the previous half-century. Our faculty research covers everything from ecosystem services provided by rangelands, wetlands, forests, and wildlife to the effects of climate change on these functions, to federal and state policies regarding ecosystem benefits.
