What are ecosystem services?

Ecosystem services refer to the essential benefits that humans derive from functioning ecosystems, which are critical for our survival and well-being. These services include a wide array of benefits, such as the provision of clean water, air, food, and raw materials, as well as regulation of climate, disease, and water cycles. They also encompass cultural benefits, such as recreational opportunities and spiritual enrichment, as well as supporting services, like nutrient cycling and soil formation, that are necessary for the production of all other ecosystem services.

While financial benefits from agriculture and food resources supplied by ecosystems are certainly aspects of ecosystem services, they do not encompass the full range of benefits that ecosystems provide. Recreational activities, although valuable, represent only a portion of the overall benefits derived from ecosystems. Therefore, understanding ecosystem services as the broad and essential benefits humans receive from nature allows for a more comprehensive view of their importance to our lives and the environment.