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The ecosystem provisioning, regulating and cultural services identified represent the flow of natural capital and stock of materials that humanity relies upon to drive economic growth (Costanza et al. 1997). Identifying and valuing such services represents a step towards what has been termed a ‘green economy’. This represents an economy based upon a realization that maintaining the natural systems that provide humanity with diverse and valuable services is central to sustainable development. The European Union view a green economy as generating growth, creating jobs, and eradicating poverty through investment and preservation of the natural capital upon which long-term sustainable development depends (EC 2011). Maintaining this flow of natural capital is only as sustainable as the ability of ecosystems to regenerate following the extraction of natural capital or recover following natural or anthropogenic disturbance. This ability to recover is the resilience of the system, and it is clear that many global ecosystems have been managed in such an unsustainable manner that once resilient systems are now facing collapse, with particular concern surrounding wild fisheries and freshwater systems (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment et al. 2005). As access to ecosystem services is overexploited there is a resulting degradation and loss of capacity to maintain that service in the future. This ultimately puts the ecosystem and the services it can provide at real threat to profound changes in its form and functioning. Improving the efficiency of resource use and maintaining the resilience of ecosystems are core challenges in moving towards a greener economy that values ecosystem services.