Introduction: the ecological and social implications of changing biodiversity. An overview of a decade of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning research

Conventional approaches to ecology often lack the necessary integration to make a compelling case for the critical importance of biodiversity to ecosystem functioning and human wellbeing. This linear approach does not prepare one for understanding and applying ecology in the context of the modern world. A different, rather unconventional approach is needed for understanding ecology and environmental biology, one that asks the question that is rarely asked — What is the significance of biodiversity to human wellbeing? That is what this book asks.