Chapter 2: The Importance of Ecosystem Services for Human Well-being

Taking the below data from https://www.nature.scot/scotlands-biodiversity/scottish-biodiversity-strategy-and-cop15/ecosystem-approach/ecosystem-services-natures-benefits and https://capitalscoalition.org/guide_supplement/biodiversity-4/

For the exam aspirants, please refer to the below note and make a mental sketch of the diagram mentioned. There will be few questions that will be based on the below information.

Nature is essential for human life. Nature provides us with water, clean air and food, and raw materials for medicines, industry and buildings. Our crops rely on insect pollination and the complex biological processes that create soil. Enjoying parks, landscapes and wildlife improves our health and well-being. All of these benefits, known as ecosystem services, depend on a healthy environment.

Ecosystem Services are the direct and indirect contributions ecosystems (known as natural capital) provide for human well-being and quality of life.

This can be in a practical sense, providing food and water and regulating the climate, as well as cultural aspects such as reducing stress and anxiety. In fact, the vast number of services provided by ecosystems can be categorized into more manageable groups of: provisional; regulating; cultural; and the slightly more ambiguous, supporting services.

These services provided by ecosystems lead to benefits received by humans in the form of security, goods and materials, health and well-being.

Provisioning – these are tangible goods that people can harvest from the environment such as food, wood and fibre, water and fuel.

Regulating – these are regulating services that occur in the ecosystem that lead to benefits such as climate regulation, flood management, and water filtration.

Cultural – these include ways in which nature impacts people’s health and wellbeing through recreational and education benefits as well as improving mental health and building spiritual connections.

Supporting – ecosystems could not function without supporting services, such as the nutrient cycle, soil formation and habitat provision for biodiversity, forming the basis for the other three types of services.

Other useful links from the same chapter:

Understanding Greenwashing, Greenwishing, and Sustainability Challenges

Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) for Climate Change

Sustainability Sub-Types, Climate Impacts, and Responses

For more information, please join the LinkedIn group

#GARP #SCR #Ecosystems