Ecosystems & Human Well-being — Study Guide

Vocabulary flashcards covering ecosystem concepts, human well-being dimensions, institutional freedoms, sustainability principles, and the Costa Rican PES case study.

Ecosystem

A dynamic complex of plant, animal, and microorganism communities interacting with the non-living environment as a functional unit, with humans included.

Ecosystem Services

Benefits people obtain from ecosystems, grouped into provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services.

Provisioning Services

Material outputs such as food, fresh water, fuel, fiber, and medicine.

Regulating Services

Ecosystem functions that moderate natural processes, e.g., air-quality maintenance, climate regulation, water regulation, and disease control.

Cultural Services

Non-material benefits including spiritual value, recreation, education, and aesthetic enjoyment.

Supporting Services

Underlying processes like nutrient cycling, soil formation, and primary production that enable all other services.

Biodiversity

The variety within species, between species, and of ecosystems; foundation of all ecosystem services.

Human Well-being

A state defined by material needs, health, good social relations, security, and freedom & choice.

Material Needs

Food, shelter, and income—one of the five key dimensions of well-being.

Health (Well-being)

Physical and mental conditions enabling people to pursue valued goals.

Good Social Relations

Social cohesion, respect, and supportive networks contributing to well-being.

Security (Well-being)

Safety, predictable access to resources, and protection from violence or shocks.

Freedom and Choice

Ability to achieve personally valued outcomes and make life decisions.

Direct Effects

Immediate impacts of ecosystem change on people, e.g., water pollution causing illness.

Indirect Effects

Cascading consequences of ecosystem change, e.g., soil salinization leading to crop failure and malnutrition.

Thresholds and Spirals

Points where degradation triggers accelerating social-ecological decline or, conversely, positive feedback from sustainable management.

Institutions

Formal and informal rules that enable or restrict access to ecosystem services and may be co-opted by powerful groups.

Participative Freedom

Opportunity for people to engage in decisions affecting their lives and resources.

Economic Facilities

Access to finance, employment, and markets supporting individual capabilities.

Social Opportunities

Access to education, health care, and other social services.

Transparency Guarantees

Openness and accountability that reduce corruption and build trust.

Protective Security

Safety nets that shield people from acute deprivation during shocks.

Ecological Security

Guarantee of minimum ecosystem resources for all, added by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment.

Substitution Debate

Discussion on whether human or physical capital can replace ecosystem services; generally limited, especially for the poor.

Sustainability Principle

Use of resources today must not compromise future well-being; emphasizes intergenerational equity.

Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES)

Schemes that financially reward landholders for maintaining or enhancing ecosystem services.

Costa Rica’s PES Program

National PES initiative launched in 1997 under Forestry Law 7575 to pay landowners for carbon sequestration, biodiversity, water regulation, and scenic beauty.

FONAFIFO

Government agency managing Costa Rica’s PES program, overseeing contracts, payments, and monitoring.

Carbon Sequestration

Capture and long-term storage of atmospheric CO₂ by forests and other ecosystems.

Agroforestry

Land-use system combining trees with crops or livestock; eligible for PES payments.

Reforestation

Planting trees where forests have been depleted; one activity financed by PES.

GIS Monitoring

Use of Geographic Information Systems to track land use and verify compliance in PES schemes.

Intergenerational Equity

Fair treatment of future generations regarding access to ecosystem resources and services.