Forests, oceans and wetlands are the treasuries of planet Earth. These ecosystems provide us with crucial services such as clean water, food, climate regulation and biodiversity. Still, forests and other ecosystems are threatened. Consequently the planet is losing its capacity to provide a comfortable living environment for us, and for the next generations. This raises the following questions: What are we really losing, when we continue to over-use our ecosystems? Can ecosystems be regarded as 'production facilities' and ecosystem services as their 'products' that have a value on the world market? Is it possible to create a business case for the conservation of ecosystems, so that they can keep providing the essential ecosystem services? In Our Balancing Act - The true value of ecosystems Denis Slieker and Jos van Assendelft explore the route of putting a value on ecosystems. Next to this, the book places the pressure on ecosystems in an historic perspective and presents ways to define the monetary value of ecosystems. Our Balancing Act deals with the true value of ecosystems and provides practical solutions. It is written for those who are interested in the preservation of ecosystems: professionally or otherwise. The book is enriched with contributions of Willem Ferwerda (Director IUCN committee of The Netherlands) and Frederic Kizza (Senior Warden Uganda Wildlife Authority).