What Are Ecosystem Services, And Why Do We Need Them?

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2013, Nadine Azzu, FAO  "The Youth Guide to Biodiversity" 1st Edition (Chapter 5) Youth and United Nations Global Alliance. Reproduced with permission.

Chapter 5. Verbatim.

Ecosystem services (sometimes called ecosystem goods and services) are the benefits that the environment, of which humans are a part, obtains from ecosystems. Boxes: “The dirt on healthy soils” and “How our health and safety depend on biodiversity” take a closer look at some of the vital ecosystem services provided by biodiversity. There are four types of ecosystem services. They are:

1. Provisioning services: these services are products obtained from ecosystems, such as food, fresh water and genetic resources. 

2. Regulating services: regulating services are involved in climate regulation, disease control, erosion control, pollination and regulation of natural processes, such as floods and forest fires.

3. Cultural services: ecosystem services not only provide concrete things like food, or essential services such as water filtration, but they also provide us with spiritual, recreational and cultural benefits. For example, ecosystems provide a rich source of inspiration for art, folklore, national symbols, architecture and even advertising. 

4. Supporting services: these services maintain the conditions for life on Earth. They are necessary for the production of all other ecosystem services. Their impacts on people are either indirect or occur over a very long time. In contrast, changes in the other three categories have relatively direct and short-term impacts on people. Examples of supporting services are nutrient cycling, soil formation and retention and habitat provision.