ekosysteemitettä

Ecosystem services are the benefits that humans receive from ecosystems. These services are essential for human well-being and are broadly categorized into four types: provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services.

Provisioning services are the tangible products that ecosystems provide, such as food, freshwater, timber, and fiber. These are the resources that humans directly consume or utilize for their livelihoods. For example, forests provide timber for construction and fuel, while wetlands filter water for drinking.

Regulating services are the benefits obtained from the regulation of ecosystem processes. These include climate regulation, flood control, disease regulation, and water purification. Forests, for instance, help regulate climate by absorbing carbon dioxide, and wetlands can mitigate floods by absorbing excess water.

Cultural services are the non-material benefits that people obtain from ecosystems. These include spiritual and religious enrichment, recreation, aesthetic experiences, and opportunities for education and inspiration. National parks and natural landscapes offer opportunities for tourism and recreation, fostering physical and mental well-being.

Supporting services are those that are necessary for the production of all other ecosystem services. These include nutrient cycling, soil formation, and primary production. Without these fundamental processes, the provision of other services would not be possible. For example, photosynthesis, a primary production process, forms the base of most food webs.

The concept of ecosystem services highlights the interconnectedness between human society and the natural environment, emphasizing the economic and social value of healthy ecosystems.