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Article 35299evidence is available on what self-regulating ecosystems look like. Information is not available foreach ecosystem in each ecoregion; consequently, development of both theory and practice willrequire much time and energy on local, national, and global levels.This massive undertaking (sustainable use of the planet) can only be successful if humankind’sdependence on ecological life-support systems is widely recognized. Once the dependence ofhumankind on these ecological life-support systems is accepted, they should be treated as inviolate(i.e. sacred). The personnel and resources would then be dedicated to protect those ecosystemsdeemed self regulating and those requiring subsidies, including ecological restoration. Giventhe momentum of the present economic/technological system that preserves neither natural capitalnor ecosystem services, it seems probable that some major catastrophic event will be necessaryto initiate any change in attitude toward natural systems.CONCLUSIONSHumankind is dependent on both natural systems and the ecological services they provide forachieving sustainable use of the planet. The ecological services of natural systems have been freeand constant, regardless of the encroachments and damage inflicted upon them by humans. However,a number of ecological thresholds and breakpoints, when crossed, often result in a nonlinearresponse that may occur with breath taking rapidity. Even though some systems have sufficientecological resiliency to allow crossing some thresholds reversible, human social systems and theirresponse times may not be adequate to this end. One of the basics for ensuring the continual availabilityof natural capital and ecosystem services is to protect self-regulating ecosystems whereverthey exist. In addition, subsidies that will enable the accumulation of natural capital and theprovision of ecosystem services for those ecosystems that are not now self regulating must bedetermined. Even if ecological restoration cannot produce a self regulating system for a variety ofreasons, restoration should significantly reduce the subsidy requirements. Humankind is currentlyunprepared for this responsibility. Success in this endeavor will depend heavily on the developmentand practice of eco-ethics and on achieving a higher level of environmental literacy than now existsin human society, particularly in the case of its leaders. The planet’s natural systems can handleonly so much pressure, and time is growing short.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSI am indebted to Eva Call for transcribing the handwritten and dictated portions of the first draft of thismanuscript and to Darla Donald for editorial assistance with subsequent drafts and preparation for publicationin this journal. The Cairns Foundation paid for processing costs for this manuscript.REFERENCESAlexander WM. Humans sharing the bounty of the Earth: hopeful lessons from Kerala. A paper prepared forthe International Congress on Kerala Studies in Thiruvanathapurum, Kerala. In: Wackernagel M and ReesW. Our Ecological Footprint: Reducing Human Impact on the Earth. Gabriola Island, British Columbia,Canada: New Society Publishers; 1996:23Berry W. The futility of global thinking. Harper’s Magazine, 1989;SeptBrown L, Flavin C. and Postel S. State of the World. New York: WW Norton; 1990:173–81Cairns J, Jr. Can human society exist without ecological restoration? In: Halbert JE and Chang CL (eds),Proceedings from the 1998 Appalachian Ecological Integrity Conference. Elkins, WV: Heartwood; 1999:20–31Cairns J, Jr. Environmental monitoring for the preservation of global biodiversity: the role in sustainable useof the planet. International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology 2002;9:135–50Christensen NL, Bartuska AM, Brown JH, Carpenter C, D’Antonio C, Francis R, Frankin JF, MacMahon JA,