Sung-Chan Kim @Pixabay
Ecosystem Services
WHAT ARE ECOSYSTEM SERVICES?
Ecosystem services are the direct and indirect products and services that are provided to us from the natural environment, its processes, and components. The Millenium Ecosystem Assessment (2005) categorises ecosystem services into four major categories based on the different services and products we derive.
Simon Alpha @Pixabay
thomeck @Pixabay
Annette Meyer @Pixabay
pieonane @Pixabay
Engin Akyurt @Pixabay
WHAT ARE THE FOUR CATEGORIES?
1. Provisioning Ecosystem Services:
​ The tangible and direct products of ecosystems that we can extract and use
For example: Food, water, timber, oil, natural gases
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2. Regulating Ecosystem Services:
The basic services that make life possible for humans - these are ecosystem processes that are responsible for moderating natural phenomena
For example: Pollination, flood mitigation, air purification, carbon storage
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3. Supporting Ecosystem Services:
The most fundamental, yet largely overlooked, service that represents the underlying processes responsible for sustaining ecosystems and allowing life on Earth - these services are needed for all other services to exist
For example: Habitat creation, nutrient and water cycling, photosynthesis, soil formation
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4. Cultural Ecosystem Services:
The non-material benefits that play a huge role in our well-being and identity from an individual to a global level
For example: Aesthetics, emotional connectedness, recreation, education, spiritual and cultural value
URBANISATION AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
Across urban ecosystems, ecosystem service delivery is vital for improving the mental and physical well-being of city dwellers. This is due to the role of nature for improving the interactions and connectedness between people and nature - generating inspiration, knowledge, and spiritual awareness.
Increased urbanisation, however, is driving a rapid degradation of biodiversity, and subsequently, the ecosystem services delivered to different communities. These effects of rapid degradation are further enhanced by urban developments, which creates a disproportionate distribution of biodiversity across urban and socio-economic landscapes. In general, patterns show that people living in areas with a higher proportion of green space and biodiversity, typically higher income landscapes, tend to benefit more from ecosystem services as there is greater access.​
Bessi @Pixabay