Flashcards
Whittingham L1: Ecosystem Services
Cards in this deck (14)
- 1What are ecosystem services?The benefits people obtain from ecosystems
JNCC - 2Categories within Ecosystem Services:The Millenium Ecosystem Assessment grouped ESs into four main categories:
1. Provisioning (such as the production of food and water)
2. Regulating (such as the control of climate and disease)
3. Supporting (such as nutrient cycles and crop pollination --> these are necessary for the production of all other ESs)
4. Cultural (such as spiritual and recreational benefits) - 3What was the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment?The largest assessment of the health of Earth's ecosystems
-was prepared by 1360 experts from 95 countries
-was called for by UN secretary general in 2000 - 4What were some of the findings of the MEA?1. over the past 50 years, humans have changed ecosystems more rapidly and extensively than in any comparable period of time in human history
2. The changes that have been made to ecosystems have contributed to substantial net gains in human well-being and economic development
3. The degradation of ESs could grow significantly worse during the first half of this century and is a barrier to achieving the MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS - 51. over the past 50 years, humans have changed ecosystems more rapidly and extensively than in any comparable period of time in human history --> what has this resulted in?This has resulted in a substantial and largely irreversible loss in the diversity of life on Earth
- 6Examples of losses in biodiversity:-More land was converted to cropland in the 30 years after 1950 than in the 150 years btwn 1700 and 1850
-20% of the world's coral reefs were lost and 20% degraded in the last several decades
-35% of MANGROVE area has been lost in the last several decades - 7Nitrogen-humans produce as much biologically available N as all natural pathways and this may grow a further 65% byt 2050
- 8Extinction rate?Humans have increased the species extinction rate by as much as 1000 times over background rates
-10-30% of mammal, bird and amphibian spp. are currently threatened with extinction - 92. The changes that have been made to ecosystems have contributed to substantial net gains in human well-being and economic development --> examplesSince 1960, while popn doubled:
-economic activity increased 6-fold
-food production increased 2.5 times
-food price declined
-water use doubled
BUT: unsustainable use - 10Unsustainable:c. 60% of the ESs evaluated in the MEA are being degraded or used UNSUSTAINABLY
--> The degradation of ESs often causes significant harm to human well-being and represents loss of wealth of a country - 11Loss of wealth due to ecosystem degradation:is not reflected in economic accounts:
-A country could cut its forests and deplete its fisheries and this would show as a POSITIVE GAIN IN GDP without registering the corresponding decline in assests - 12Degradation of ESs affects poor people:-Half the urban popn in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Carribean suffer from one or more diseases associated with inadequate water and sanitation
- 133. The degradation of ESs could grow significantly worse during the first half of this century and is a barrier to achieving the MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS -what are the main drivers of this degradation?-CC and habitat change (primarily agriculture)
--> it has been predicted that a further 10^9 ha of natural habitat will be converted to cropland by 2050 (Tilman et al. 2001)
--> also increases in overexploitationof resources and invasive species - 14Different ways of valuing nature:PEARSON 2016:
1. Utilitarian value: the FUNCTION of nature that is valued, often associated with a MONETARY VALUATION
2. INTRINSIC VALUE: That it is MORALLY RIGHT to conserve nature ASIDE from human interests --> people commonly object to converting intrinsic value to monetary value: nature is valued for what it IS not what it DOES
3. NON-USE VALUE: the value of nature to humans, even when there is no direct use. Humans place non-use value on knowing that nature continues to exist and can be bequeathed to future generations, possibly for future use
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- Biodiversity Science and Management (Whittingham) Flashcards on Whittingham L1: Ecosystem Services, created by Phoebe Stockton on 20/05/2017.
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- Phoebe Stockton
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