Engage in a public dialog on goals, policies, and trade-offs . Dramatic improvements in ecosystem condition and capacity are possible when governments and nongovernmental organizations create opportunities to air diverse ideas about ecosystem management. Recognize the value of ecosystem services . Removing subsidies and explicitly pricing ecosystem services can be politically difficult but can promote more efficient resource use. Involve local communities in managing ecosystems .
Local communities are often the most prudent ecosystem managers.
Involving local communities can also yield a more equitable distribution of the benefits and costs of ecosystem use. We can do better at managing ecosystems than we have in the past, and we can do better today . In South Africa, people are restoring the ecosystem by uprooting invasive trees. In Dhani, a community utilizes watchmen and patrols, simple harvest plans, and bans on cattle grazing and promotes alternative local employment. In Machakos, the Akamba collect rainwater and construct terraces a practice dating back to ancient times in many parts of the world.