The well-being of people all over the world depends on the
various goods and services provided by ecosystems, including
food, fuel, construction materials, clean water and air, and
protection from natural hazards. Ecosystems, however, are under
increasing pressure from unsustainable use and other threats
including outright conversion. To address this concern, IUCN
promotes the sound management of ecosystems through the wider
application of the Ecosystem Approach – a strategy for the
integrated management of land, water and living resources that
places human needs at its centre, through the Ecosystem
Management Programme. The Ecosystem Management Programme works
on four key programmatic areas for IUCN: - Drylands, where the
programme aims to demonstrate the importance of dryland
ecosystem services for livelihood improvement and for adapting
to climate change. - Climate Change, where the Climate Change
Initiative aims to include biodiversity concerns in adaptation
and mitigation polices and practice, as well as