Types Of Ecosystem Services

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Different types of Ecosystems Services
• What are Ecosystem Services
Ecosystem services (ES): Ecosystem functions or processes that the society benefits from either explicitly in monetary form (say through selling of crops or ayurvedic medicines) sor implicitly by improving the quality of one’s life. If these same ecosystem services are used in urban areas and cities, we define them as urban ecosystem services (UES).
• UES are provided at different scales within an urban landscape

1. Local scale: Like temperature regulation by trees, water and pollutant filtration by soil, timber production and other similar things.
2. Regional or landscape scale: Like climate regulation, biodiversity, etc.
3. Global scale: Carbon mitigation, contribution to the world-wide gene pool.

• Classification of Ecosystem services

1. Provisioning Services: production of food and timber, water supply, provision of genetic resources
2. Regulating services: regulation of climate extremes like heavy rainfall and heat waves, floods and diseases, regulation of water flows, treatment and handling of waste
3. Cultural services: Use of natural beauty for tourism, provision of aesthetic features, spiritual requirements
4. Habitat and supporting services: soil formation and processes, pollination, provision of energy, matter and nutrient fluxes, biodiversity

• Examples of Ecosystem services and how they help us

1. Provisioning Services -basically the beneficial products obtained directly from the Nature

a) Getting food, crops, spices, fisheries and fresh water for direct consumption necessary for survival
b) Obtaining raw materials like fuel wood, charcoal, fertilizers, metals and minerals used for production of other materials
c) Medicinal resources and o...

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...rflies, etc. which helps in seed dispersal helps in the production of food and other agricultural goods. An estimated 90% of all flowering plants would not exist without animals and insects transporting pollen from one plant to another. Example: Honeybees in the Himalayan region, people in that region recognize that bees help secure better livelihoods, both by increasing agricultural productivity and by generating direct income from selling honey and wax.
b) Nutrient Cycle: movement of organic matter back in to the cycle so that it could help in further production of crops.
c) Soil formation: Soil provides multiple services essential for the sustainability of other ecosystem services like nutrient cycling and water retention.
d) Grazing: Helps the soil by increasing the soil density and promoting plant variety and it also benefits the livestock at the same time.

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