The Wealth of Nature

THE WEALTH OF NATURE was LAUNCHED  November 9th AT WILD9

The Wealth of Nature is the seventeenth volume in the CEMEX Conservation Book Series, a program with aims to advance and communicate global needs and strategies in conservation.
Every year since 1993, CEMEX has published a book on conservation to promote the importance of biodiversity. The books are written in partnership with leading NGOs, and are donated to universities, government agencies, research institutions, and non-profit organizations for fundraising.

How many of the comforts we enjoy and the products we use come courtesy of Nature's seemingly infinite warehouse of services? Bees pollinate the cereals we eat for breakfast, forests and wetlands purify the water that we drink, and the trees in our yards trap pollutants from the air we breathe. All of these benefits, as well as our fuels and natural medicines and countless others, come to us, free of charge, from our planet's healthy ecosystems. As societies expand, however, we often lose sight of the intimate links between the health of Nature and our own well-being. How do we come to value the many services Nature provides that are necessary for our survival? And, perhaps most importantly, how do we maintain the full array of ecological services necessary for future generations to thrive? This book provides an authoritative and beautifully illustrated survey of the wide range of ecosystem services. It has been produced in collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Conservation International (CI), The Wild Foundation, and the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP).

by J. McNeely (Author), R. Mittermeier (Author), T. Brooks (Author), F Boltz (Author), N Ash (Author, illustrated with images from the International League of Conservation Photographers in partnership with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, Conservation International and CEMEX. 

The iLCP was recognized for excellence in conservation publishing at the 2010 Independent Publisher Book Awards (the IPPYs) held May 25th in New York City. Our 2009 CEMEX Conservation Book Series title The Wealth of Nature: Ecosystem Services, Biodiversity, and Human Well-Being, published in partnership Conservation International, IUCN, and Wild Foundation, received the top prize, a Gold Medal in the Environment/Ecology/Nature category. Justin Black, iLCP's Executive Director, attended the prestigious awards gala on behalf of the editorial team and iLCP in general. This prestigious annual book competition receives some 5,000 entries annually, of which only around 200 are honored with a gold, silver, or bronze medal. Thanks to all the iLCP photographers who contributed to this beautiful and groundbreaking volume. We're hoping to do it again next year with our 2010 Conservation Book Series edition, Freshwater: The Essence of Life.