Ecosystem Services

Ecosystem Services

1. What is an ecosystem?

   • An ecosystem is made up of all the organisms and the physical environment in which they live.

2. What are ecosystem services

   • An ecosystem service is any positive advantage that wildlife or ecosystems deliver to people. The advantages can be direct or indirect, little or substantial.

3. 4 types of ecosystem services

   • Provisioning Services
     • A provisioning service is any type of human benefit that can be obtained from nature. EXAMPLES: Food, raw materials, freshwater, medicinal resources
   • Regulating Services
     • Ecosystems provide regulating services by serving as regulators, such as controlling air and soil quality or providing flood and disease management. EX; Local climate and air quality, Carbon sequestration and storage, moderation of extreme events, waste-water treatment, erosion prevention and maintenance of soil fertility, pollination, biological control
   • Cultural Services
     • Non-material advantages from contact with ecosystems are included in Cultural Services. They consist of aesthetic, spiritual, and psychological advantages. EXAMPLES: Recreation and mental and physical health, tourism, aesthetic appreciation and inspiration for culture, art, and design, Spiritual experience and sense of place
   • Supporting Service
     • Almost all other services rely on Supporting Services. Ecosystems provide living habitats for plants and animals, as well as a range of plant and animal breeds. EXAMPLES: Habitats for species and maintenance of genetic diversity

4. Benefits of ecosystem services

   • Ecosystem Services are the direct and indirect benefits provided by ecosystems (also known as natural capital) to human well-being and quality of life. These ecological services result in advantages to humans in the form of security, products and resources, health and well-being.

5. Relationship between Ecology and ecosystem services

   • Ecology is the study of ecosystems and all that makes it up. An ecosystem is made up of living and non-living things.