Ecosystem services

Definition

Ecosystem services are the benefits that humans receive from natural ecosystems, including provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services. These services are essential for human survival and well-being, as they provide food, clean water, climate regulation, and opportunities for recreation and cultural experiences. Understanding how these services interact with human activities is crucial for addressing environmental impacts and promoting sustainable practices.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Provisioning services include the production of food, fresh water, timber, and fiber, which are directly utilized by humans.
2. Regulating services help maintain environmental conditions by controlling climate, floods, diseases, and water quality.
3. Cultural services provide recreational, aesthetic, and spiritual benefits that contribute to human well-being and community identity.
4. Supporting services such as soil formation and nutrient cycling are essential for the production of other ecosystem services.
5. The degradation of ecosystems can significantly reduce the availability and quality of ecosystem services, leading to negative impacts on human health and economies.

Review Questions

• How do ecosystem services contribute to human well-being and what are some examples of these contributions?
  • Ecosystem services directly enhance human well-being by providing essential resources like food, clean water, and raw materials. For example, agricultural ecosystems produce food that sustains populations while wetlands filter pollutants and improve water quality. Additionally, forests provide timber for construction and recreational spaces that enhance quality of life. Recognizing these contributions helps emphasize the importance of protecting natural environments.
• Evaluate the impact of subsistence practices on ecosystem services and how this relationship affects sustainability efforts.
  • Subsistence practices often rely heavily on local ecosystems for resources like wild plants and animals. While these practices can be sustainable when managed properly, overexploitation or destructive methods can degrade ecosystem services. This degradation may lead to reduced biodiversity and diminished resources for future generations. To promote sustainability, it is crucial to balance these practices with conservation efforts that support the continued delivery of ecosystem services.
• Assess how marine resource exploitation affects ecosystem services in coastal environments and propose strategies for mitigating negative impacts.
  • Marine resource exploitation can severely impact ecosystem services in coastal areas by disrupting habitats, reducing biodiversity, and altering nutrient cycling. Overfishing depletes fish populations, which can lead to imbalances in marine ecosystems. To mitigate these impacts, strategies such as implementing sustainable fishing practices, establishing marine protected areas, and restoring degraded habitats can be adopted. These approaches help ensure that ecosystem services continue to support both human needs and ecological health.

Related terms

Biodiversity:

The variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem, which plays a key role in maintaining ecosystem services.

Sustainability: The ability to meet current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, often involving the management of ecosystem services.

Land Use Change: The alteration of land for different purposes such as agriculture, urban development, or conservation, which can impact the delivery of ecosystem services.