Lecture 5 Flashcards
Ecosystem services
essential goods and services, ranging from medicines and building materials to fertile soils, clean water, and flood control, that natural ecosystems deliver to people
Four categories of ecosystem services
- Provisioning
- Regulating
- Habitat or supporting
- Cultural
Provisioning ecosystem services
good provided by nature that humans use as food, fuel, drinking water, building materials, and medicines
Regulating ecosystem services
control natural processes in ways that are favorable to humans
- ecosystem processes that regulate or control nature that is directly beneficial or indirectly beneficial to humans
Habitat or supporting ecosystem services
maintain biodiversity, which in turn produces all other categories of services
Cultural ecosystem services
the many emotional, psychological, and recreational benefits that people obtain from nature
economic value
the amount of money people are willing to pay for it or the cost to fix a problem
What are the many methods of valuation that can be applied to nature?
- Ethical
- Aesthetic
- Scientific
- Educational
