SAJC Cluster 1 Lecture 4 Notes (Ecosystem Services)

St Andrew’s Junior College H2 Cluster 1: Development, Economy and Environment (Topic 1.1) H2_Cluster 1_Lecture 4_2024/pg 1 Lecture 4 Environment and Resources (I): Ecosystem Services KEY QUESTION: Why is the environment important? With the completion of this lecture, attached readings and tutorial, you should be able to discuss: - the importance of ecosystem services provided by the environment - variations over time and space of what is considered a provisioning service - human activities which can compromise the ability of the environment to provide ecosystem services Lecture Outline 4.1 Introduction: What are ‘ecosystem services’? 4.2 Types of Ecosystem Services (a) Provisioning services (b) Regulating services (c) Cultural services (d) Support services Box 1: What is the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA)? 4.3 Variations over Time and Space of What is Considered a Provisioning Service 4.3.1 Demand for the provisioning service (a) Economic factors (b) Social factors (c) Cultural factors (d) Political factors 4.3.2 Technology 4.4 Human Activities which Can Compromise the Ability of the Environment to Provide Ecosystem Services 4.4.1 Destruction of habitats (a) Deforestation (b) Human-induced climate change 4.4.2 Pollution of natural environment (a) Agriculture (b) Extractive industries 4.4.3 Introduction of invasive species 4.5 Concluding Remarks How have you been justifying that the environment is important to humans? A possible means is to explain how humans rely on the range of ‘services’ the environment provides. There are broadly four main types of such ‘services’, which we shall be learning more about. Just from this diagram alone, can you decide which ‘service’ is the most important?

St Andrew’s Junior College H2 Cluster 1: Development, Economy and Environment (Topic 1.1) H2_Cluster 1_Lecture 4_2024/pg 2 4.1 Introduction: What are ‘ecosystem services’? Humans, whether we recognise it or not, are dependent on the environment for multitudes of benefits that sustain us, our societies and our economies. (Landers, Nahlik & Rhodes, 2016) • As we have learnt in Lect 1-3, the environment is a key dimension of sustainable development, with environmental limits setting the boundaries within which a sustainable society and economy should be sought. • Everyone in the world depends entirely on the environment to survive and thrive. The concepts of ecosystems and ecosystem services draw attention to the important and fundamental contribution of the environment to human well-being. • An ecosystem is a dynamic complex of plant, animal and microorganism communities and the non-living environment interacting as a functional unit. Humans are an integral part of ecosystems. The concept of ecosystem provides a valuable framework for analysing the linkages between people and the environment. • Ecosystems range from those that are relatively undisturbed, such as natural forests, to landscapes with mixed patterns of human use, to ecosystems intensively managed and modified by humans, such as agricultural land and urban areas. Ecosystems also vary greatly in size. • Ecosystem services are the benefits people obtain from ecosystems. (See later, Section 3.2 on the different types of ecosystem services.) • Ecosystem services are, by definition, means to the end or goal of sustainable human well- being. This does not imply that ecosystems are not also valuable intrinsically (that is, in and of themselves), but that ecosystem services are defined based on their value to the material and non-material well-being of humans. 4.2 Types of Ecosystem Services • The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) (see Box 1) classifies ecosystems services into four types: provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting services. The MA acknowledges how these services all serve humans by providing for our well-being, which itself is multi-faceted. (See Fig. 1) Box 1: What is the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA)? • The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) was called for by the United Nations Secretary - General Kofi Annan in 2000. Initiated in 2001, the objective of the MA was to assess the consequences of ecosystem change for human well -being and the scientific basis for action needed to enhance the conservation and sustainable use of those systems and their contribution to human well-being. • The MA has involved the work of more than 1,360 experts worldwide. Their findings provide a state-of-the-art scientific appraisal of the condition and trends in the world’s ecosystems and the services they provide (such as clean water, food, forest products, flood control, and natural resources) and the options to restore, conserve or enhance the sustainable use of ecosystems.

St Andrew’s Junior College H2 Cluster 1: Development, Economy and Environment (Topic 1.1) H2_Cluster 1_Lecture 4_2024/pg 3 • Fig. 1 depicts the linkages between ecosystem services and the components of human well - being that are commonly encountered. Fig. 1 Linkages between ecosystem services and human well-being (a) Provisioning services ** (This is the most important ecosystem service you have to be familiar with.) • Provisioning services are the tangible products or goods that people obtain from ecosystems for basic human needs such as food, water, minerals, shelter and fuel. • These ecosystem goods are the essential inputs to all economic production and contribute significantly to the global economy. o For example, the global wood products market was valued at $631 billion in 2021 and the world’s exports of aquatic products were worth $151 billion in 2020. o Provisioning services, such as inland fisheries and fuelwood production, are particularly important to the economies of and livelihoods of people in developing countries. Fisheries provide the primary source of animal protein for more than one billion people, and all but four of the 30 countries most dependent on fish as a protein source are in the developing world. In low-income countries such as Nepal, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania, fuelwood meets 80% or more of total energy requirements. • Throughout the late 20th century, provisioning services grew rapidly as humans expanded farmlands (160% increase in food production), harvested more water (doubled water use) and cleared more timber (tripling of harvests for pulp and paper, timber by 160%). • Provisioning services are not necessarily being used in responsible ways, despite being favoured. Nearly half of provisioning services are exploited at unsustainable rates (see Section 4.4).

St Andrew’s Junior College H2 Cluster 1: Development, Economy and Environment (Topic 1.1) H2_Cluster 1_Lecture 4_2024/pg 4 (b) Regulating services • Regulating services are the benefits obtained from the various processes whereby ecosystems regulate the conditions where humans live and make a living. This reduces risks to human health and safety. • Examples of regulating services include: o Climate regulation. Ecosystems regulate the global climate by storing greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. For example, plants take in carbon dioxide during photosynthesis. Terrestrial and ocean ecosystems absorb nearly 60% of carbon dioxide emitted to the atmosphere from human activities, significantly slowing the rate of climate change (see Topic 3.2). o Moderation of extreme events. Ecosystems, such as mangroves, create buffers against natural disasters such as floods, tropical storms and cyclones. Mangroves, with their dense network of roots (see Photo A), help to break sea waves during storm surges and reduce coastal flooding. Studies show that mangroves can reduce up to 66% of wave energy in the first 100 m of the forest width. Mangroves provide over $65 billion per year in flood prot