Human societies have benefited directly and indirectly from nature for millennia. From clean air and drinking water to weather and climate control, nature provides critical services for our well-being. We can't survive without these goods, outputs, and processes that natural and managed ecosystems provide for us.
There are four major types of ecosystem services. Provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural. Provisioning.
Our environment provides us with raw materials, food, shelter, energy, and other resources that are essential for our physical well-being. These materialistic resources are known as provisioning services. Freshwater ecosystems play a huge role in regulating and purifying water. Similarly, forests and vegetation help improve the quality of water by acting as filters.
Ecosystems provide us with the right conditions and environments to grow vegetables, fruit, pulses, rice, and other important foods. Humans also rely on freshwater and marine resources, as well as animals in forested ecosystems, for meat. Ecosystems provide us with valuable resources, such as timber and biofuels from plants, which are the primary materials used in construction activities. Nature provides many resources that we humans use as traditional medicines.
If you have an upset stomach, you might reach out for ginger from the fridge. Such resources are sourced from plants and animals, and are not only used in common households, but also by pharmaceutical companies as raw materials for medicine. Regulating Nature also provides many services while acting as regulators. Many natural resources require some regulation to ensure their quality, which is enabled by ecosystems.
Wetlands are classic examples of ecosystems that provide vital filtering services for animal and human waste, which purifies the water. Trees and forests provide shade, promote rainfall, influence the availability of water, and help regulate air pollution. Forested ecosystems play a huge role in regulating climate and weather by storing carbon and other greenhouse gases.
Many ecosystems can even regulate natural disasters, such as floods and storms, by acting as barriers. The most classic example is that of mangrove ecosystems, which help reduce the impact of tsunamis. Pollination is perhaps one of the most critical services that biodiversity provides. Two of nature's key pollinators are insects and wind.
Without these two pollinators, growing agricultural crops would be immensely challenging. Supporting. Ecosystems provide shelter and habitats for countless plant and animal species, while also maintaining their diversity. Ecosystems help maintain genetic diversity on our planet, which is why we have such a broad and spectacular variety of lifeforms on Earth.
Cultural. Our planet's ecosystems provide us with many non-materialistic goods and services. For instance, nature provides us with green spaces that we use for walking and picnics, as well as land and seascapes that allow for tourism-related activities.
Some forests and mountains are also considered sacred to cultures around the world. As you can see, ecosystems provide humans and other lifeforms with services that are necessary for survival. However, these critical services are under threat.
The mindless abuse and overconsumption of nature's resources have contributed to the rapid extinction of countless species, in addition to widespread deforestation, climate change, and ecosystem pollution. Ecosystem services are immensely valuable, which is why we must protect them at all costs. After all, humanity relies on these services to survive and thrive.