Abstract
I develop a constructivist account of the ecosystem health concept. I argue that plausible naturalist accounts of ecosystem health are unsuccessful—they do not accurately track and explain common judgments about ecosystem health. I show that specific values pertaining to aesthetics, authenticity, and human wellbeing help explain contemporary judgments about ecosystem health. Some implications of this position are that empirical research on ecological health is importantly value-laden; that judgments about ecological health are sensitive to anthropocentric preferences; and that ecosystem health is not a nonanthropocentric management target.
