ABSTRACT
The vital role of the natural environment for the continued survival of mankind has been well documented in the popular media and epistemic communities: the natural environment provides the ecosystem services and the resource base to support any type of economic and social activity. The increasing threats the natural environment is exposed to are equally well documented. According to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005), approximately 60 per cent of global ecosystem services are degraded, with this degradation expected to continue at an accelerated rate. The loss of biodiversity, marine and air pollution, over-fishing, soil erosion, increasing water scarcity, deforestation, landfill waste and, most prominently, climate change all have to various degrees been recognized as vital problems which need to be addressed to ensure the life opportunities of current and future generations.
