Ecosystem services

Forest ecosystem services underpin a large proportion of human wellbeing, from climate regulation and hazard control to the provision of food and shelter for large parts of the world´s population. Yet, biodiversity and ecosystem services in forests are moderately or severely increasingly degraded worldwide • Pan, Y. et al. Science 333, 988–993 (2011). • Vanhaven, H. et al. (eds) Making Boreal Forests Work for People and Nature (IUFRO, 2012); • Stokland, J. N. For. Ecol. Manage. 488, 119017 (2021). • Snäll et al. Nat. Sustain. • Assessment Report on Land Degradation and Restoration (IPBES, 2018). • Felipe-Lucia, M. R. et al. Nat. Commun. 9, 4839 (2018). • Gamfeldt, L. et al. Nat. Commun. 4, 1340 (2013). • Holland, R. A. et al. Biodivers. Conserv. 20, 3285–3294 (2011). • National Forest Inventory: National Forest Monitoring (FAO, 2021); • Simons, N. K. et al. For. Ecosyst. 8, 5 (2021). • Sweden’s Forest Industry in Brief (FIS, 2021). • Triviño, M. et al. J. Appl. Ecol. 54, 61–70 (2017). Authors and Affiliations • Department of Ecosystem Services, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig, Germany María R. Felipe-Lucia • Department of Ecosystem Services, German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle–Halle–Jena–Leipzig, Germany María R. Felipe-Lucia

Georgia’s forests provide essential ecosystem services like water filtration, carbon storage, wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities and scenic beauty. The United Nations led a four-year assessment of the status and trends of the world’s ecosystems. This • Provisioning Services: The production of food, fiber, clean water, and other goods • Regulating Services: Regulation of climate/temperature, the spread disease, and control rate, quality and output of water • Supporting Services: Examples include new soil formation, carbon sequestration, nutrient and waste recycling, and pollination • Cultural Services: The educational, aesthetic, cultural heritage values of ecosystems, including tourism and recreation Traditionally, most ecosystem services are considered free benefits to society. These public goods provide the basis for sustainable economies, communities, and livelihoods, but have no recognized economic value in the marketplace. The vital contributions of ecosystem services often go unrecognized in individual, corporate, and public decision making. When forests and other ecosystems are undervalued, they are more susceptible to development pressures and conversion to non-forest uses. Over the past decade, many efforts have been made to place value on ecosystem services and to establish market-based incentives that reward landowners for maintaining and enhancing the ecosystem services that their forests provide to all of us. Georgia’s Private Forestland Georgia’s 22...

What is the difference between ecosystem functions and ecosystem services? This article describes the difference between these two often confused words in environmental science and management. It aims to integrate and clarify the many definitions and viewpoints of ecosystem functions and ecosystem services currently available online. Sometimes, students of environmental science and management terms use environmental concepts interchangeably to mean the same thing. Or perhaps misused, misunderstood or used these two phrases inappropriately. As a professor of environmental science and management, I consciously need to have a second look at what those words I tell my students to mean what I want to convey, given the multiplier effect of what I say. I am apprehensive of the possibility that they may disseminate erroneous information and cause a domino effect that misleads others interested in the subject. When I say something wrong, they may also echo something wrong. I need to clearly define the concepts that I used, as I expect my students to exercise a certain level of Back to the difference between ecosystem functions and ecosystem services. Ecosystem functions and ecosystem services are two different concepts that students of environmental science need to be familiar with. This article describes each of these concepts and provides examples to facilitate understanding. Ecosystem Functions Definition Ecosystem functions are natural process or characteristic exchanges of ene...

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