Ecosystems provide us with the water we drink, the food we eat, the fibers we use in clothing and biochemicals that are used in medicine. They also play a crucial role in stabilizing the climate, generating oxygen and absorbing carbon emissions. But ecosystems around the world are in danger. According to WWF, about 60% of the world’s biodiversity has been lost since 1970. This is very troubling.
Many economists view ecosystems as a subject for economic valuation, but money cannot be a measuring rod for such complex entities as ecosystems – a more multi-dimensional approach is needed. That is why I created the Ecoystems project, a photo album that highlights the complexity, diversity and true value of ecosystems.
“It is essential for us to appreciate not only the beauty of nature, but also its critical life-support services to our planet and to all of its inhabitants,” said Julia Marton-Lefevre, former director-general of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). “This book inspires us to a deeper understanding of our important responsibilities to protect, restore and nurture ecosystems so that they can continue to provide us with the comforts we cannot take for granted.”
The project is an interdisciplinary collaboration between art and science. It brings together environmental photography used to visualize a multitude of ecosystem services and scientific explanation of what ecosystem services are and why they are important. The images illustrate different ecosystem services – from the provision of water and food to pollination, soils and spiritual and religious values and inspiration for artists. The album was launched at the 50th Anniversary Conference of the Club of Rome in 2018, and has been exhibited throughout the world, including at the Mathematical Institute of the University of Oxford in England, United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poland and more recently at the 2020 UN World Urban Forum in the UAE.
Copies of the book have also been sent to world leaders with an aim to stress upon them the importance of conserving, and more importantly, restoring ecosystems that cannot be sacrificed to any arguments of economic growth because they act as an absolute foundation of all our economic activities.
“Our life depends on our ability to protect the home, which so generously hosts us,” said Janez Potočnik, former European Commissioner for the Environment. “We should all contribute to our best. Sharing the captured moments of intrinsic beauty is certainly one of the most effective ways to raise awareness.”
The great challenge of our time is to build and nurture human communities that honor, respect, and cooperate with nature's inherent ability to sustain life. To do so, it is critical to understand how ecosystems work—not only intellectually, but also emotionally and spiritually.
To learn more about the Ecosystems project, visit this page.
Dr Stanislav Shmelev is an ecological economist, CEO of Environment Europe Limited, Oxford. He has been selected as one of the 120 finalists of the 15th Arte Laguna Prize and will take part in the exhibition at the Arsenale of Venice from October 2 to October 24, 2021. Environment Europe is delighted to request the pleasure of your company at the Private View of the ‘MAGICAL REALISM’ exhibition by Dr. Stanislav Shmelev to take place 17:30 – 20:00 on 2 October 2021 at Arte Laguna Prize Exhibition, L'Arsenale Di Venezia in Venice, Italy.
