The challenge echoed in land and seascapes around the world is how to integrate the requirements of natural systems with the needs of the people who depend upon them. As the concept of ecosystem-based management has developed, there has been a shift to better include human impacts and needs in the consideration of how to manage ecosystems. This change has developed in parallel with the move from single objective (or single sector) management to more holistic considerations of ecosystems including the multiple objectives that humans desire and our cumulative impacts on ecosystems. These changes create a foundation for transforming the way people address conflicts between the environment and the economy.

However, managing humans (or, at the very least, their impacts) has not yet progressed past planning for a few specific aspects of human culture or objectives. To better capture human uses, needs and impacts in our management models, a scientific foundation for policy that characterizes the services integral to society is required. One step towards incorporating human and ecosystem needs is to include multiple objectives in planning and assessments.

"The human species, while buffered against environmental changes by culture and technology, is ultimately fully dependent on the flow of ecosystem services. Ecosystem services include:

Provisioning Services: such as food, water, timber and fibre;

Regulating Services: such as the regulation of climate, floods, disease, wastes and water quality;

Cultural Services: such as recreational, aesthetic, and spiritual benefits; and

Supporting Services: such as soil formation, photosynthesis, and nutrient cycling."

From: UNEP (2006) Marine and coastal ecosystems and human well-being: A synthesis report based on the findings of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment.