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… on human health, which is one of the main categories of wellbeing considered by the MA. From a long-term societal perspective, preserving or restoring ecosystems is sometimes a better idea than applying technological solutions, as this can lead to more human wellbeing and lower costs. However, several aspects add to the complexity of the ecosystem–health relation, making it difficult to see the value of these ecosystem services. Examples are complex cause–effect chains with long-term effects, … for website link). Moreover, many scientists claim that we also have to be aware of the existence of ecosystem disservices (functions of ecosystems that are perceived as negative for human wellbeing), and that they also need to be taken into account when choosing between land-use management options. Historically, this weighing of trade-offs between services and disservices was relatively easy, because overall stress on ecosystems was sufficiently small to allow the focus to be on manipulating … a better understanding of the disease impacts of various ecosystem factors and their linkages to each other and to diseases would aid in designing or recommending preventive health measures that are most efficient, or that represent the relatively best trade-off. Concrete advantages would be a reduction of the disease burden to the population, a longer-term impact as compared to solely medical treatment, and a more equitable solution, beneficial across social groups (Prüss-Üstün and Corvalán …