2.2 Ecosystem Services

What Are Ecosystem Services?

• Ecosystem services are the benefits humans obtain from ecosystems

• They support:

  • Human survival

  • Economic activity

  • Environmental stability

• Healthy ecosystems provide services naturally and for free

Provisioning Services

• Goods obtained directly from ecosystems

• Usually have market value

• Examples:

  • Food (crops, fish, livestock, wild game)

  • Freshwater (drinking, irrigation)

  • Timber and fiber (wood, paper, cotton, wool)

  • Fuel (firewood, biofuels)

  • Medicinal resources (plants used for drugs)

• Human impacts:

  • Overfishing

  • Deforestation

  • Water pollution

  • Overharvesting

Regulating Services

• Natural processes that regulate environmental conditions

• Help stabilize ecosystems and protect humans

• Examples:

  • Climate regulation (carbon sequestration by forests and oceans)

  • Water purification (wetlands filtering pollutants)

  • Flood regulation (forests and wetlands slowing runoff)

  • Erosion control (plant roots holding soil)

  • Pollination (bees, birds, bats)

  • Pest and disease control

  • Air quality regulation

• Human impacts:

  • Deforestation reduces carbon storage

  • Wetland drainage removes water filtration

  • Pesticides kill pollinators

  • Coastal development removes storm barriers

Cultural Services

• Non-material benefits people gain from ecosystems

• Improve quality of life and well-being

• Examples:

  • Recreation and tourism

  • Aesthetic value (natural beauty)

  • Spiritual and religious significance

  • Education and scientific research

  • Cultural identity and sense of place

• Human impacts:

  • Habitat destruction reduces recreation

  • Pollution reduces aesthetic value

  • Urbanization limits access to nature

Supporting Services

• Fundamental processes that make all other services possible

• Occur over long timescales

• Do not directly benefit humans but support ecosystems

• Examples:

  • Photosynthesis and primary productivity

  • Nutrient cycling (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus)

  • Soil formation

  • Water cycling

  • Habitat provision

  • Oxygen production

• Supporting services are the foundation of ecosystems

• Loss of supporting services causes cascading failures

Ecosystem Values

Instrumental Value

• Ecosystems are valuable for the goods and services they provide

• Includes provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services

Intrinsic Value

• Ecosystems have value independent of human use

• Based on ethical, moral, religious, or philosophical beliefs

• Supports conservation even without economic benefit

Human Impacts on Ecosystem Services

• Human (anthropogenic) activities can degrade or destroy ecosystem services

• Major causes:

  • Deforestation

  • Urbanization

  • Agriculture

  • Pollution

  • Climate change

  • Overfishing

• Example impacts:

  • Loss of carbon sequestration → climate change

  • Loss of pollinators → reduced crop yields

  • Loss of wetlands → increased flooding

  • Coral reef degradation → tourism loss

Consequences of Disrupted Ecosystem Services

Ecological Consequences

• Reduced ecosystem stability

• Lower biodiversity

• Decreased resilience and recovery

• Increased vulnerability to disturbances

Economic Consequences

• Loss of food, water, and raw materials

• Reduced income from fishing, farming, and tourism

• Increased costs for artificial replacements (water treatment, flood control)

Long-Term Impacts

• Ecosystem recovery can take decades

• Some ecosystem losses are irreversible

• Permanent changes reduce ability to support future human needs

Environmental Indicators

• Used to measure ecosystem and planetary health

• Examples:

  • Species diversity

  • Water quality

  • Carbon dioxide levels

  • Global temperature

  • Habitat loss rate

  • Extinction rate

• Help assess sustainability

Exam Must-Knows

• Know all four categories and examples of each

• Provisioning = tangible goods

• Regulating = environmental control processes

• Cultural = non-material benefits

• Supporting = foundational processes

• Pollination is a regulating service

• Human disruption leads to ecological and economic costs