ISSUE THEME:   Linkages Between Ecosystem Health and Human Health

ISSUE EDITOR: Michael McClain

Human well-being and health are linked to ecosystem health in myriad ways, ranging from food security to infectious disease risks and even physical violence in conflicts over degraded natural resources. Consequently, these linkages have been featured in recent global initiatives such as the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and are being addressed by a growing number of international development agencies and their implementing partners. In this issue of Basins & Coasts we examine this fascinating topic from four perspectives. Joan Castro and Leona D’Agnes describe an innovative approach to address impending food shortages in Philippine coastal communities by integrating the delivery of family planning and conservation services. Edmund Seto and his colleagues examine the specific case of dams and human health, including recently published data suggesting that water level changes downstream of the Three Gorges Dam may increase the risk of schistosomiasis among human and animal populations. Janet Edmund then describes a selection of Conservation International’s ongoing efforts to integrate population, health and environment projects in Cambodia, Madagascar, and the Philippines. Finally, Elizabeth Anderson and her colleagues describe a practical approach to determine the environmental flow regime (or ‘reserve’) that should be preserved in Tanzania’s Wami River to protect aquatic ecosystems and the basic services on which humans along the river depend. The issue concludes with a brief conference report from this year’s World Water Week as well as select online resources for the reader who wishes to learn more.

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Individual Articles
		Integrated Approach Impacts Human and Ecosystem Health in Coastal PhilippinesJoan Castro and Leona D'Agnes
		Schistosomiasis and the Three Gorges Dam: an EcoHealth PerspectiveEdmund Y.W. Seto, Weiping Wu, Hong-Yun Liu, Hong-Gen Chen, Alan Hubbard, Ashley Holt, and George M. Davis
		Conservation International's Population, Health and Environment ProgramJanet Edmond
		How much water do we need for nature, livelihoods and people? Assessing the environmental flow of rivers in the Wami River BasinElizabeth Anderson, Julius Sarmett, Donald Robadue Jr., James Tobey
		Seminar ReportStockholm World Water Week 2008, Held 19 August 2008