Millenium Ecosystem Assessment - Major Findings & Four Major MA Categories!

Millenium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) is a major assessment of the human impact on the environment. It was advocated by Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, initiated in 2001 and published in 2005 with the help of more than $14 million in grants. It helped popularise the concept of ecosystem services or the advantages that humans derive from ecosystems.

Millenium Ecosystem Assessment is one of the most important topics for the UPSC IAS exam. It covers a significant part of the Environment subject in the General Studies Paper-3 syllabus and current events of national importance in UPSC prelims.

In this article, we shall detail the history, origin, important findings, and participating institutions of the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment UPSC.

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Millenium Ecosystem Assessment – Major Findings & Four Major MA Categories: Download PDF here!

History & Origin of Millenium Ecosystem Assessments

The existence of the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment can be traced back to the requests from both scientists and policymakers. By the middle of the 1990s, a large number of people engaged in the work of international conventions like the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD) realized that the mechanisms in place were not adequate to handle the extensive needs for scientific assessments within the conventions. Contrarily, for agreements like the Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, efficient evaluation systems like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) did exist.

About Millenium Ecosystem Assessments

Around the world, more than 1,360 specialists have contributed to the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment. They present a state-of-the-art scientific assessment of the condition and trends in the world’s ecosystems and the services they provide (such as clean water, food, forest products, flood control, and natural resources), as well as the options to restore, conserve, or enhance the sustainable use of ecosystems, in five technical volumes and six synthesis reports.

Objectives of Millenium Ecosystem Assessments

The objective of the MA was to assess the consequences of ecosystem change for human well-being and the scientific basis for action needed to enhance the conservation and sustainable use of those systems and their contribution to human well-being.

Major Categories of Ecosystem Service

Four major categories of ecosystem services are identified by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA). A detailed explanation of the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment categories is given below.

• Provisioning Services: Any benefit obtained from nature is a provisioning service. Some examples of provisioning services include food, drinking water, wood fuel, natural gas, oils, plants that can be used to make clothing and other textiles, and plants with therapeutic properties.
• Regulating Services: The advantage offered by ecosystem processes that control natural phenomena is referred to as a regulatory service. Pollination, decay, water filtration, erosion and flood management, carbon sequestration, and climate regulation are all examples of regulating services.
• Cultural Services: A cultural service is a non-material benefit that aids people’s growth and cultural advancement. Examples include ecosystems' role in local, national, and international cultures, the development of knowledge and the dissemination of ideas, and the development of creativity due to interactions with nature.
• Supporting Services: It provides support services to the stated 3 services of the ecosystem: cultural, regulating, and provisioning services.

Millenium Ecosystem Assessments: Participating Institutions

The participating institutions of Millenium Ecosystem Assessments services are listed below.

Institutions Represented on MA Board
Institutions	Established	Headquarters	Objective
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)	1971	Montpellier, France (CGIAR System Organization)	CGIAR is a global partnership that brings together multinational organizations working on research for a future where there is enough food.
Convention for the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS)	1983	Bonn, West Germany	CMS is also known as Bonn Convention. It is a United Nations environmental agreement that offers a framework for the protection and sustainable use of migratory terrestrial, aquatic, and avian species as well as their ecosystems on a worldwide scale.
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)	1983	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil New York, United States	Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is a legal framework for “the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilisation of genetic resources” has been ratified by 196 countries.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)	1945	Rome, Italy	The FAO is a specialised agency of the UN that directs global initiatives to end hunger. The FAO wants to ensure that everyone has access to enough wholesome food on a regular basis to maintain an active, healthy lifestyle.
Global Environment Facility (GEF)	1991	Washington, D.C.	The Global Environment Facility is the main source of funding for biodiversity preservation, restoring nature, reducing pollution, and addressing climate change in developing nations. It provides funding for national environmental programmes and agreements that have global implications.
International Council for Science (ICSU)	1931	Paris, France	ICSU is a non-governmental organization with a unique global membership. It has over 200 international scientific unions and organisations, as well as national and regional scientific organisations, academies, and research councils as its members.
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands	1971	Ramsar, Iran	Ramsar Convention is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. India has a total of 75 Ramsar sites as od Aug 2022.
UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)	1994	Bonn, Germany	UNCCD is the sole legally binding international agreement that links environment and development to sustainable land management.
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)	1992	Bonn, Germany	UNFCCC is the international environment treaty that aims to stabilise atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and combat climate change.
United Nations Foundation	1998	Washington, D.C., United States	The UN Foundation is an independent charitable organization established to collaborate closely with the UN to advance international progress and address urgent problems.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)	1965	New York, United States	Then objective of UNDP is to eradicate poverty and reduce inequalities through the sustainable development of nations, in more than 170 countries and territories.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)	1945	Paris, France	UNESCO’s mission is to contribute to the building of a culture of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development, and intercultural dialogue through culture, communication, education, the sciences, and information
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)	1972	Nairobi, Kenya	UNEP’s mission is to provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.
World Bank	1944	Washington, D.C., United States	The World Bank Group is one of the greatest global providers of finance and expertise for developing nations.
World Conservation Union (IUCN)	1948	Gland, Switzerland	IUCN( International Union for Conservation of Nature) is an international organization that aims to promote and support societies across the world in protecting the integrity and diversity of nature, as well as to ensure that all uses of natural resources are fair and environmentally responsible.
World Health Organization (WHO)	1948	Geneva, Switzerland	The objective of WHO is to prevent a billion more people from health emergencies, provide a billion more people with greater health and well-being, and ensure that a billion more people have access to universal health care.

About IPBES

• IPBES stands for Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.
• It is not a United Nations body, however, the secretariat services are provided by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
• IPBES was established on 21 April 2012 in Panama City, by 94 Governments.
• It is an independent intergovernmental body established by States in order to improve the science-policy interaction for biodiversity and ecosystem services for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, long-term human well-being, and sustainable development.

Major findings of the Millenium Ecosystem Assessments

Like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment evaluated data, scientific literature, and current understanding. The major findings of the Millenium Ecosystem Assessments services are listed below.

• The speed and extent with which people have altered ecosystems over the past 50 years have caused a significant and largely irreversible loss in the variety of species on Earth.
• There have been significant net benefits in human well-being and economic development as a result of environmental changes.
• Under some of the scenarios the MA studied, the issue of reversing ecosystem deterioration while meeting the rising demand for their services can be partially accomplished, but these require considerable changes in policies, institutions, and practices that are not currently underway.
• There are numerous strategies to preserve or improve a particular ecosystem service that minimizes trade-offs or creates beneficial synergies with other ecosystem services.
• The Millenium Ecosystem assessment is distinctive in that it focuses on ecological services and how they relate to needs for human growth and well-being.
• Some of the emergent findings are also part of the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment. These are listed below.

• The Balance Sheet: The first finding of the state of Earth’s natural capital has revealed that 60% of a group of 24 ecosystem services studied by the MA are being deteriorated.
• Nonlinear Changes: The Millenium Ecosystem Assessment is the first assessment to draw the conclusion that ecosystem alterations increase the chance of ecosystem nonlinear changes and the first to highlight the significant implications of this finding for human well-being.
• Drylands: The Millenium Ecosystem Assessment does confirm that there are considerable issues with tropical forests and coral reefs; nonetheless, in terms of the connections between ecosystems and humans, dryland ecosystems face the greatest difficulties.
• Nutrient Loading: The MA supports the priority that policymakers are already placing on addressing crucial ecosystem change drivers including habitat loss and climate change.

Study in detail about Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) with this link!

How do Millenium Ecosystem Assessments take place?

• The work of Millenium Ecosystem Assessments (MA) was undertaken by an international network of scientists and experts, using a method based on the IPCC.
• The MA included more than 1300 writers from 95 nations, divided into 4 working groups.
• The MA’s global assessment component was completed by three of these working groups i.e, Condition & Trends; Scenarios; Responses.
• All of the MA sub-global evaluations were included in the fourth working group i.e, Sub-global.
• Both social and natural scientists, many of whom are thought leaders in their domains, participated in the MA working groups.
• An adequate regional and gender balance among the experts involved in the MA was given careful consideration.

Millenium Ecosystem Subglossal Assessments

• The objective behind conducting MA sub-global assessments is to complement local findings with global perspectives, data, and models, and to support global findings with on-the-ground reality.
• There are 18 sub-global evaluations that have received MA approval and an additional fifteen which have associated status.
• Millenium Ecosystem Subglossal Assessments are significant because ecosystems fluctuate greatly in place and time and successful management necessitate attentive local planning and action.

Way Forward

According to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, by the end of the century, climate change is likely to override other factors as the primary cause of biodiversity loss.

• The adaptation and mitigation of climate change depend heavily on biodiversity.
•  For instance, the preservation of natural habitats might lessen the quantity of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere in areas where deforestation accounts for an average of 20% of human-induced carbon dioxide emissions.
•  Additionally, preserving mangroves and drought-tolerant plants helps lessen the effects of climate change, including starvation and flooding.

Therefore some important measures need to be taken to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change.

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