To describe these systems, their trajectories of change, and our ability to influence them towards a more sustainable future, we define several core elements:
Biodiversity — the variability within and among all living organisms and the ecological complexes in which they occur. Biodiversity includes ecosystem or community diversity, species diversity, genetic diversity and the ecological and evolutionary processes that sustain it.
Ecosystem Services — the many benefits that flow from biodiversity to people in ways that can sustain, enrich and fulfill our lives.
- Nature encompasses both biodiversity and ecosystem services, and the processes necessary to maintain them.
Human Well-Being — describes the state in which a person can act meaningfully to pursue chosen goals, enjoys a satisfactory quality of life, and has her or his needs met.