Types of ecosystem services
Ecosystems provide a diverse range of ecosystem services (ESS), which numerous authors have listed and categorised in various ways. Some authors differentiate between ecosystem goods and services, refer to Table 1.
Ecosystem goods are items produced from the processes carried out by healthy ecosystems that are given monetary value in the market place and can be bought and sold. Whereas the services from ecosystems are of value but are rarely bought or sold.
Daily’s more widely used definition of ecosystem services incorporates the provision of goods as a category of ecosystem service (Daily 1999). Daily classifies ecosystem services into a number of broad categories, production of goods, regeneration processes, stabilizing processes, life fulfilling processes and preservation of options, as shown in Table 2.
Table 1. Examples of Ecosystem Goods and Ecosystem Services (reference: http://ohioline.osu.edu/paradigm/table_1.html)
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Ecosystem "goods" include
- food
- construction material
- medicinal plants
- wild genes for domestic plants and animals
- tourism and recreation
Ecosystem "services" include
- maintaining hydrological cycles
- regulating climate
- cleansing water and air
- maintaining the gaseous composition of the atmosphere
- pollinating crops and other important plants
- generating and maintaining soils
- storing and cycling nutrients
- absorbing and detoxifying pollutants
- providing beauty, inspiration, and recreation
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Table 2. Five categories of ecosystem services (adapted from (Daily, 1999)
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Ecosystem service category |
Examples |
Production of goods
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Food
Pharmaceuticals
Durable materials
Energy
Industrial products
Genetic resources
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Regeneration Processes
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Cycling and filtration processes
(detoxification, decomposition of waste, renewal of soil fertility, purification of air and water)
Translocation processes
(dispersal of seed, pollination of vegetation)
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Stabilising Processes
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Maintenance of coastal and river channel stability
Substitution of one species for another when environments change
Pest control
Weather moderation
Water cycle regulation (flood mitigation, droughts and salinity) |
Life Fulfilling Functions
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Provision of aesthetic beauty
Cultural , intellectual and spiritual inspiration
Existence value
Scientific discovery
Serenity |
Preservation of options
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Maintenance of ecological components and systems needed for the future
Supply of goods and services yet to be discovered |
Next topic - The production of ecosystem services?
