Ecosystem Services and Human Settlements

Vocabulary flashcards covering core concepts of Human Ecology, ecosystem services, Philippine human settlement regulations, international UN mandates, and urban development principles.

Ecology

The study of interactions that organisms have with each other, other organisms, and abiotic components with their environment, coined by Ernst Haeckel in 1860 from the Greek words "oikos" (house) and "logos" (study of).

Human Ecology

The science of the conditions of the health and well-being of everyday human life (Ellen Swallow Richards) and the study of humans and their social interaction with natural, social, and built environments (coined by Robert Park and Ernst Burgess in 1921).

Provisioning Services

Ecosystem services providing products obtained directly from the environment, such as food, medicine, livelihood, and agriculture.

Regulating Services

Ecosystem services that control natural processes and protect ecosystems, such as flood control provided by mangroves, trees, and mountains.

Cultural Services

Non-material ecosystem benefits, such as indigenous people's connection to the environment and tourism.

Supporting Services

Ecosystem processes, such as photosynthesis, that enable the delivery of other ecosystem services by providing fresh air for humans.

Carrying Capacity

A system's ability to support a species depending on available resources, population size, and resource consumption per individual (Cohen, 1996).

Ecological Footprint

The amount of biologically productive land and sea required to support an individual's lifestyle along with the resources needed to grow food and absorb or dispose of waste.

Presidential Decree 1396

The decree signed in June 1978 that established the Ministry of Human Settlements in the Philippines under Minister Imelda Marcos.

11 Basic Needs

The foundational human needs identified by the Ministry of Human Settlements: water, food, shelter, clothing, power, education, medical services, economic base (livelihood), sports and recreation, mobility, and ecological balance.

Human Settlements

The totality of the human community (city, town, or village) with all social, material, organizational, spiritual, and cultural elements that sustain it.

Urban Areas (Republic Act 7279)

As defined by the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992, all cities regardless of population density and municipalities with a population density of at least $500\text{ persons per square kilometer}$.

City Requirements (Republic Act 7160)

Criteria under the Local Government Code requiring a population minimum of $150,000$ people, minimum annual local income of $\text{PhP } 100\text{ million}$ (amended by Republic Act No. 11683 to $\text{PhP } 400\text{ million}$), and land area of at least $100\text{ square kilometers}$.

United Nations Declaration on Human Settlements

Declaration adopted during Habitat I (May 31–June 11, 1976) in Vancouver, Canada, focusing on settlement concerns affecting quality of life and inspired by Rachel Carson's 1962 book Silent Spring.

New Urban Agenda

The initiative adopted on October 20, 2016 at Habitat III in Quito, Ecuador, setting a vision for sustainable urbanization at the local level in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals.

Culture Core Model

Julian Steward's model holding that ecologically relevant cultural features (technology and social institutions) determine demography and social structure via the causal sequence: Environment and Technology -> Demography -> Social and Political Structure.

Homology

The framework in human ecology that applies evolutionary ecology directly to humans as biological primates, analyzing shared traits such as long juvenile dependency and optimal foraging behavior.

Analogy

The conceptual borrowing framework in human ecology that applies biological concepts to human society, viewing culture like genes, societies like species or ecological communities, and human groups like insect colonies.

Shelter (UN Habitat I)

Superstructures constructed for security, privacy, weather protection, and individual identity.

Infrastructure (UN Habitat I)

Physical networks designed to deliver or remove people, goods, energy, and information.

Services (UN Habitat I)

Community networks required for social functions, including education, health, culture, welfare, recreation, and nutrition.

Urban Sprawl

The random and unplanned geographical expansion of cities and towns caused by unmanaged urban growth.

Sustainable Development Goal 11

The UN goal focused on making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.

Regional Action Plan on Urbanization

Plan formulated at the 1993 Bangkok Ministerial Conference establishing multi-stakeholder partnerships to tackle urban poverty and environmental management.