MESH - greatest hits of ecosystem service modelling

Deep into the annual talks at the 8th Ecosystem Services Partnership conference held in South Africa’s mega diverse Western Cape, Bioversity International and Natural Capital Project colleagues filled the room with attendees hungry to learn more about MESH, the Mapping Ecosystem Services to Human Well-Being tool. Although it is still at an early stage, this clever tool has plenty of fans and a wide variety of uses for policy makers, scientific advisors and ecosystem services specialists.

So what is MESH about? As its name indicates, it is a free, downloadable software tool that ‘meshes together’ maps of ecosystem services from already existing tools (such as Natural Capital Project’s InVEST and King’s College of London’s WaterWorld) into a user-friendly interface that enables users to rapidly analyze how a policy or investment decision may impact ecosystem services such as food production, erosion or carbon sequestration.

Read the original blog post: New tool aims to shed light on links between ecosystems and human well-being

^{Photo: Fishing on Rupa Lake, Nepal. Upstream and downstream communities work together to develop fishing regulations to ensure sustainable benefits for all. Credit: IWMI/N. Palmer}