Today you were introduced to ecosystem services. Maybe you have received services from a carpet cleaner, or plummer, and certainly all of us have been to a doctor. So, what are ecosystem services? Let's look at the Provisions Service in an ecosystem: When people are asked to identify a service provided by nature, most think of food. Fruits, vegetables, trees, fish, and livestock are available to us as direct products of ecosystems. Other types of provisioning services include drinking water, timber, wood fuel, natural gas, oils, plants that can be made into clothes and other materials, and medicinal benefits. Next is Regulating Services...(I bet you didn't know ecosystems regulate things?): Ecosystems provide many of the basic services that make life possible for people. Plants clean air and filter water, bacteria decompose wastes, bees pollinate flowers, and tree roots hold soil in place to prevent erosion. All these processes work together to make ecosystems clean, sustainable, functional, and resilient to change Then there is the Cultural Services: A cultural service is a free benefit that leads to the development and cultural advancement of people, including how ecosystems play a role in local, national, and global cultures; the building of knowledge and the spreading of ideas; creativity born from experiences with nature (music, art, architecture); and recreation. Last, but not least, and probably the most important services are the Supporting Services: Ecosystems themselves couldn't survive without the routine of basic natural processes, such as photosynthesis, nutrient cycling, the creation of soils, and the water cycle. These processes allow the Earth to provide for basic life forms, let alone whole ecosystems and people. Without supporting services, provisional, regulating, and cultural services wouldn't exist. There you have it! The whole package of ecosystems services. They are right under your fingertips and the price is free! Well...maybe not free, free....these services come with a cost. If we don't take care of these services, they will stop taking care of us!
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Mrs. TaylorI love science! Everything about the world is interesting and never boring. I love to study plants, animals, insects, and people. My favorite subjects are my students who are the most unique organisms on the planet! Categories |