NEW BOOK:

SHMELEV, S. (2018)
ECOSYSTEMS: Complexity, Diversity and Nature's Contribution to Humanity

Our director, Dr Stanislav Shmelev presented the recently published 'ECOSYSTEMS' album at the United Nations World Urban Forum 2020 in Abu Dhabi. The album has received letters of support from HH Pope Francis, HRH Prince Charles, President Macron, Prime Minister Rutte, Government of India and Sir David Attenborough as well as Nobel Prize winning climate change economists, former presidents of the International Society for Ecological Economics, IUCN, DG Environment at the European Commission, co-president of the Club of Rome, professors from Colombia, Sri Lanka, Spain, UK, Brazil, USA. The book has been launched at the 50th Anniversary conference of the Club of Rome and shown at a large exhibition held at Oxford University followed by the presentation at the UNFCCC COP24 Conference on Climate Change.

The endorsements read:

The great challenge of our time is to build and nurture human communities that honor, respect, and cooperate with nature's inherent ability to sustain life. To do so, it is critical to understand how ecosystems work—not only intellectually, but also emotionally and spiritually. Artists have an essential role to play to foster such deep, multidimensional understanding, and Stanislav Shmelev's magnificent book succeeds admirably in this task.

Prof. Fritjof Capra, author, The Tao of Physics (1975), The Web of Life (1996), The Hidden Connections (2002), Learning from Leonardo (2007), coauthor, The Systems View of Life (2014).

Our life depends on our ability to protect the home, which so generously hosts us. We should all contribute to our best. Sharing the captured moments of intrinsic beauty is certainly one of the most effective ways to raise awareness

Janez Potočnik, former European Commissioner for the Environment, co-chair of the International Resources Panel, UN Environment.

Stanislav Shmelev displays consummate skill in combining both art and science to produce his exquisite and captivating photo album, describing the essence of sustainability.

Prof. Mohan Munasinghe, Vice Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC-AR4), joint recipient of the 2007 Nobel Prize for Peace.

It is essential for us to appreciate not only the beauty of Nature but also its critical life-support services to our planet and to all of its inhabitants. This book inspires us to a deeper understanding of our important responsibilities to protect, restore and nurture ecosystems so that they can continue to provide us with the comforts we cannot take for granted.

Julia Marton-Lefevre, Former Director General, International Union for Conservation of Nature; Edward P Bass Distinguished Visiting Environmental Scholar, Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

A wonderful and colourful journey through our planet's varied ecosystems and the multiple services they provided us with on a daily basis, and a great reminder of the key need of environmental stewardship in today's world.

Bernard Combes, Information Officer. UNESCO Education for Sustainable Development.

This stunning array of images well illustrates nature's aesthetic value and its intrinsic value too.

Prof. Robin Attfield, Professor of Philosophy, Cardiff University.

Visualizing ecosystem services is perhaps the most effective way of popularizing this important concept

Prof. Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker, PhD, Co-President, The Club of Rome.

In this book Stanislav Shmelev, an ecological economist and an artist, goes far beyond the environmental social sciences and even the environmental humanities by appealing through photography to the incommensurable values that humans hold towards the environment.

Prof. Joan Martinez-Alier, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Past President of the International Society for Ecological Economics.

'Ecosystems' by Stanislav Shmelev takes us through a journey of ecosystem services. Captured by a lens of a remarkable artist, who is also an expert, the colourful details bring to life the text describing the links between sustainability and the ecology surrounding us. As a Colombian, I enjoyed the clear message from wilderness to the scent of a cup of coffee generously provided by nature.

Prof. Juan Armando Sánchez, Professor of Biological Sciencies, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota, Colombia.

This splendid collection exhibits an amazing rainbow of colours in scenes from around the globe, expressing the photographer's profound concern for the state of the Earth, while also celebrating the intense and astonishing exuberance of human and biological diversity in some of the world's most beautiful ecosystems. Shmelev's inspired structure leads us along a carefully selected series of contexts and themes, showing clearly the importance of maintaining the stability and productivity of natural processes through global and local commitment for planetary survival in the face of global change.

Prof. Peter H. May, PhD, Professor of Ecological Economics, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro.

"This is an outstanding collection of photographs. Stanislav's wonderful and imaginative book and sensuous photographs show how the economy is entirely a subsidiary of the environment. Stanislav has created a miracle, read this book, look at these photographs and you will be invited to celebrate our deep connection to the environment'

Satish Kumar, Founder of Schumacher College and editor of Resurgence and Ecologist Magaizine.