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 t