World Resources Institute (WRI)

Founded in 1982, WRI is an independent institution that carries out policy research and analysis on global environmental and resource issues, and their relationship to population and development goals. WRI seeks to use its research and analysis to catalyse public and private action to reverse damage to ecosystems and protect the capacity of ecosystems to sustain life and prosperity; and to expand participation in environmental decisions. WRI has its headquarters in Washington, D.C., USA.

Sida has supported WRI on a number of projects, including, for example: the publication of "The Wealth of the Poor - Managing Ecosystems to Fight Poverty" and support for "EarthTrends".

WRI had a unique role as one of the initiators of the MA project and was also a coordinator and key participant in the MA process. SwedBio supports the project " Mainstreaming Ecosystem Services in Socioeconomic Decisions", during the period December 2006 until December 2009.

The overall objective of the project is to improve the way public and private sector decisions are made that affect, or are affected by, ecosystem services. The specific objectives of the project are to:

• Increase public and private sector decision makers' awareness of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment findings and advance an action agenda to sustain ecosystem services.
• Develop and promote the adoption of a guide for mainstreaming ecosystem services in public sector decision making.
• Pilot-test and promote the adoption of an ecosystem services valuation tool for coastal zone management decisions.
• Pilot-test and promote the adoption of a tool to mainstream ecosystem service considerations in private sector decision making.
• Develop and apply a policy-support tool that integrates maps of poverty and fiscal flows with maps of ecosystem services.

Another part of this project is the "Ecosystem Services Indicators (ESI)"-component. This component is compiling and assessing the ability of existing ecosystem services indicators to further scientific discourse and consensus on a set of common high quality ecosystem services indicators; guide priority-setting in data collection efforts by international and national-level data-gathering institutions; and inform policy makers about trends in the quantity and quality of ecosystem services.

The project includes direct country level work in the following five countries:

Ecosystem services valuation in coastal areas

• Trinidad and Tobago (National/Local partners: Buccoo Reef Trust; The Caribbean Natural Resources Institute; Institute for Marine Affairs)
• St. Lucia (National/Local partners: Sustainable Development Unit - Ministry of Physical Development, Environment and Housing; Soufriere Marine Management Authority)
• Belize

Tool for poverty and ecosystem services mapping

• Kenya
• Uganda