ABSTRACT

The concept of ecosystem health is strongly related with that of sustainability. It comprises both the biophysical and the human dimensions of the environment. As Burkhard et al. (2008) affirmed, “An ecosystem is often called healthy if it is stable and sustainable in the provision of goods and services 426used by human society. This implies that it has the ability to maintain its structure (organization) and function over time under external stress.” In this chapter, health and sustainability were often used as synonymous.