Prof. James G. Wilson is a Professor in Zoology and Environmental Science at Trinity College, University of Dublin (TCD), Ireland. His main research interests centre on the fitness (in the Darwinian sense) of ecosystems and organisms which is a key concept to understanding the value of natural systems and anthropogenic impacts on them. From this arises his work in bioenergetics, biomarkers and indices of ecological status and of pollution, and in the network analysis of ecosystems. Prof. Wilson has written or edited 6 books and over 120 peer-reviewed papers covering the whole range of his research interests. These have been supported by national and international funding and have included collaborations with colleagues throughout the EC as well as Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, USA and Australia. He is an Associate Editor of Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science and an Editor-in-chief for both Springer and Elsevier series. The most recent of these was an edited volume on System functioning and natural goods and services of estuaries and lagoons (Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science vol. 132).