Ecosystem Approaches to Human Health and Well-being: Reflections from Use in a Mining Context

This article briefly discusses the evolution of ecosystem approaches, and illustrates the use of ecosystem approaches to assess human health and well-being in a mining context. It discusses the various elements that help distinguish such approaches from other approaches. Well-being here is understood broadly in terms of its “constituents” and “determinants,” of which health is an important constituent. Ecological, health, and social assessments highlighted a number of impacts from mining activity in Goa, India. These generated a list of issues of concern that were validated by stakeholders—community, industry, and government—which served as a basis for the development of tools to track mining-induced changes in health and well-being. The article concludes by reflecting on some of the challenges posed by the use of ecosystem approaches to assessing human health and well-being.