Page 54 - Module_5_en

Module Table 6 Examples of ecosystem services (from Millennium Ecosystem
5 Assessment)

Category Service Description
9-12 December, 2013 Fibre Materials such as wood, jute, hemp, silk, and many other
Food and fibre
This includes the vast range of food products derived
Provisioning
from plants, animals, and microbes
products derived from ecosystems.

Wood, dung, and other biological materials serve as
Fuel
sources of energy.
Genetic Resources
This includes the genes and genetic information used
for animal and plant breeding and biotechnology.
Biochemicals, natural chemicals and Many medicines, biocides, food additives such as
pharmaceuticals alginates, and biological materials are derived from
ecosystems.

Ornamental Resources Animal products, such as skins and shells, and flowers
are used as ornaments, although the value of these
resources is often culturally determined.
Freshwater Fresh water is another example of linkages between
categories—in this case, between provisioning and
regulating services.

Regulating Air quality maintenance Ecosystems both contribute chemicals to and extract
chemicals from the atmosphere, influencing many
aspects of air quality.

Climate regulation Ecosystems influence climate both locally and globally.
For example, at a local scale, changes in land cover can
affect both temperature and precipitation. At the global
scale, ecosystems play an important role in climate by
either sequestering or emitting greenhouse gases.

Water regulation The timing and magnitude of runoff, flooding, and
aquifer recharge can be strongly influenced by changes
in land cover including in particular, alterations that
change the water storage potential of the system, such
as the conversion of wetlands or the replacement of
forests with croplands or croplands with urban areas.

Erosion control Vegetative cover plays an important role in soil
retention and the prevention of landslides.

Water purification and waste Ecosystems can be a source of impurities in fresh water
treatment but also can help to filter out and decompose organic
wastes introduced into inland waters and coastal and
marine ecosystems.

52 Integrated Analysis of Environmental Trends and Policies