Ecosystems are the planet’s life-support systems for humans and all other forms of life. Human biology requires food water, clean air, shelter, and relative climate constancy. Other health benefits include those derived from having a full complement of species, intact watersheds, climate regulation, and genetic diversity. Escalating human pressure on the environment can lead to direct health impacts, for instance, climate change impacts on agricultural production can lead to malnutrition, susceptibility to infectious diseases and other ailments. Human health is also impacted indirectly by environmental changes in the distribution of productive ecosystems and in the availability of food, water, and energy supplies. These changes will affect the distribution of infectious diseases, nutritional status, and patterns of human settlement.

The Palgrave Handbook of Ecosystems and Human Well-Being provides readers (practitioners, academics, researchers) with a comprehensive interdisciplinary reference on how various measures and actions at the local, national, regional, and global scale can mitigate environmental degradation and enhance the resilience of individuals and populations to ecosystem change. In particular, the Palgrave Handbook of Ecosystems and Human Well-Being provides readers with expert knowledge on legal, economic, financial, institutional, social, behavioural, technological, and cognitive measures and actions at the local, national, regional, and international levels in locations of differing climates and varying income levels that aim to prevent, limit, or manage environmental degradation and protect individuals and populations from the adverse consequences of ecosystem change to reduce current and future health risks.

Robert C. Brears 

As an internationally recognized author and consultant, Robert C. Brears has dedicated his career to advancing water security, green growth, and comprehensive environmental stewardship. He is the founder of Our Future Water, addressing urgent water-related challenges, and Global Climate Solutions, which explores cutting-edge ideas and actional insights across multiple areas such as renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and resilient urban development. Robert also contributes to global efforts through his role with the United Nations’ Green Climate Fund, where he serves on the Roster of Experts (Water). Here, he assesses and ensures that water security projects align with broader environmental policy standards, promoting sustainability across various sectors.

Dr. Tara Rava Zolnikov focuses on aspects of culture in a global health setting. Dr. Zolnikov earned a Ph.D in Developmental Science from North Dakota State University and an M.S. in Environmental Health from Harvard School of Public Health and a second M.S. in Industrial Hygiene from Montana Tech of the University of Montana and recently finished her third MS degree in Sport Psychology at North Central University and is expected to graduate in 2024. She also earned a B.S. degree in Biological Sciences from Montana Tech of the University of Montana.  She has been a professor of global health and environmental health for the last decade.  She also has chaired and been on committees in over 400 doctoral projects; to date, she has graduated over 200 doctoral students under her guidance and tutelage. She was also recently accepted as a fellow of ultra elite The Explorer's Club. Dr. Zolnikov’s research primarily focuses on global health issues in low and middle-income countries, including Kenya, Ghana, India, Colombia, and Brazil. She has worked with the Kenya Red Cross on a variety of public health projects, ranging from infectious diseases (E.g. Ebola and HIV/AIDS) to access to water projects. She is primarily a qualitative researcher and concentrates on providing vulnerable populations with a voice; she uses autoethnographic, ethnographic, and phenomenological perspectives to understand or live through these experiences in order to recreate them for a widespread audience.  Additionally, Dr. Zolnikov is the vice president of a non-profit organization, Water 2 Schools, which focuses on providing access to water to Maasai communities around Narok, Kenya. She also has a consulting business at www.drtararavazolnikov.com and works as a research consultant and doctoral project expert.  She has been a volunteer at Workplace Health Without Borders for over a decade. Dr. Zolnikov has published extensively in some of the world's most renowned public health and global health journals, including the American Journal of Public Health, AIDS and Behavior, Science of the Total Environment, and many more. She has also written and published two books, which focus on qualitative research and environmental health, and is currently writing her third book. Finally, she is the editor-in-chief of Elsevier's Dialogues in Health journal