"Ecosystem service values derived directly from nature are well understood but do not show up as measured aspects of our economy ... The authors provide insights as to why ecosystem services fail to be accounted for in land/water use decision-making. They also make the case for why they should be included in our economic models."
Wildlife Activist
"The work synthesized in this wide-ranging volume marks a dramatic transformation in the way people think about the environment. Ruhl, Kraft, and Lant outline the concrete changes in law and policy needed to go further and turn thinking into action. This book is packed with intellectual excitement and practical promise."
Gretchen C. Daily, Professor, biological sciences; author of "New Economy of Nature"
"One of the most important contributions of economics to environmental protection is the idea that ecosystems can perform economically valuable services even if their monetary value is not captured in markets. This book is the most comprehensive survey of current efforts to measure these services and to overcome the disincentives for land owners to produce them. However, its real contribution is a carefully reasoned suite of legal and policy reforms to increase the production of vital ecosystem services in the future."
Dan Tarlock, Distinguished Professor of Law, Chicago-Kent College of Law
"As with any new idea, there is confusion over ecosystem services and what conserving or selling them really means. Ruhl, Kraft, and Lant are meticulous in research, comprehensive in scope, and accessible in style. To dig beneath the hype and understand the promise and challenges of conserving ecosystem services, start by reading this book."
James Salzman, Nicholas Institute Professor of Environmental Policy, Duke University
"If you are looking for one book to introduce you to the full spectrum of ideas around the concept of ecosystem services, this is it."
Ecological Restoration
"In remarkably readable prose, the book is laid out in four main parts accessible to anyone from a scientific, legal, or policy background...It reminds me of the successful interaction of science, law, and policy in the 1970s. We need that to happen again and this book provides the basis for it."
Ecology
"Anyone interested in ecosystem services—from amateur environmentalist to professional policy-maker—would benefit from reading this book."
Natural Areas Journal