2.2 Ecosystem services in urban neighbourhoods

Question 1

Why are urban neighbourhoods regarded as ecosystems?

Answer 1

• An ecosystem is a geographic area where living communities and non-living environments interact with each other to form a bubble of life
• Ecosystems vary in size
• Every aspect in ecosystems depends on one another, directly or indirectly.
• People are integral parts of ecosystems and dynamic interactions exist between people and other parts of the ecosystem.
• Activities carried out by people may directly and/or indirectly change the ecosystems in both positive and negative ways.
• A man-made concrete canal in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park was transformed into a naturalised river allowing more organisms to thrive in this aquatic ecosystem.
• This brought wildlife back into the park, enhancing the neighbourhood’s biodiversity.

Question 2

Ecosystems

Answer 2

• Refer to benefits brought about by nature to people.
• These services are produced by living communities and non-living environment of ecosystems.
• These services are critical to our survival and their benefits are optimised when we have a heathy and thiving natural environment.
  • These ecosystem services consist of:
  1. Provisioning services.
  2. Regulating services.
  3. Cultural services.
  4. Supporting services.

Question 3

Provisioning ecosystem services

Answer 3

• refer to the tangible resources that people can get from ecosystems such as food, water, and wood.
• Food is one of the most important provisioning services provided by nature to people and it can be obtained through means such as agricultural activities and fisheries.
• can also be found in an urban neighbourhood ecosystem.
  Example:
  • Food is grown in urban community gardens focused on planting edibles on rooftops at Tampines’ HDB blocks.

Question 4

Regulating Ecosystem services

Answer 4

• refer to the benefits obtained from the regulation of various ecosystem processes.
• Include services such as climate regulation, disease outbreak regulation and flood regulation.
• These ecosystem processes work together to ensure that the ecosystems are functional, clean, sustainable, and resilient to changes.
• In an urban neighbourhood, these include microclimate regulation, flood mitigation as well as air and water quality control.
  Example:
• Some of the regulating services in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio park include regulating local climate, water flows and local air quality

Question 5

Cultural Ecosystems

Answer 5

• refer to the intangible benefits people obtain from ecosystems, including aesthetic experiences, educational opportunities and recreational activities.
• In an urban neighbourhood, the presence of green spaces can provide many cultural ecosystem services such as aesthetic appreciation and opportunities for stress-relieving activities.
• These activities may improve people’s physical and mental health and foster social belonging and group identity, thus strengthening their sense of place.
• Residents may also gain aesthetic experiences from natural objects in urban neighbourhoods such as heritage trees, skyrise greenery and community gardens.
  Example:
• The Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is a site for residents to engage in recreational activities as well as a space which provides educational opportunities, such as when geography students engage in fieldwork.

Question 6

Supporting Ecosystem Services

Answer 6

• Refer to services that are necessary for the functioning of all other ecosystem services,

Soil formation:
- Soil is formed when micro-organisms and physical processes decompose organic matter and break them down into smaller particles.
- Soil is essential for the health of all terrestrial ecosystems as it provides a habitat for billions of organisms, contributes to biodiversity, and acts as a water filter.
- Soil formation, as a supporting ecosystem service, ensures that human activities such as agriculture can take place

Pollination:
- In urban neighbourhoods, animals like wild bees play a significant role in crop pollination which is vital as it ensures that crops are able to reproduce to provide food for animals and humans.

Photosynthesis:
• During photosynthesis, plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen and this maintains the oxygen content of the Earth’s atmosphere. This ensures that all other ecosystem services can function.