I MAGINE …

How much is our Earth worth? CAN YOU PUT A PRICE TAG ON THE BIOSPHERE?

B ASIC V OCABULARY Biosphere: All ecosystems added together Ecosystem: a community of living organisms interacting with the non living components around them. Pixshark.com

Ecosystem Services: The collection of benefits a society enjoys from a range of resources and processes supplied by nature. Sustainability.water.ca.gov

E COSYSTEM E XAMPLE ian.umces.edu

TYPES OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES vrenihommes.com

W HAT CAN WE GET FROM THIS E COSYSTEM ? cometomyrainforest.weebly.com

P ROVISIONING S ERVICE E XAMPLE - M EDICINE California Academy of Sciences

T HE I MPORTANCE OF B IODIVERSITY Definition: diversity among plant and animal species. A world without diversity would be like walking into a grocery store with only two or three options for food…. boring! It is biodiversity that gives us all of the food, materials, and resources that we have today.

C OULD YOU I MAGINE ? California Academy of Sciences

BLIGHT IN POTATOES evolution.berkeley.edu

BIODIVERSITY STATISTICS The future of food security may be to depend on more drought and salt tolerant varieties of plants. We need biodiversity to ensure that we have some of these varieties to work with during droughts. Out of 150 prescription drugs used in the US, 118 are based on natural resources= 74% on plants, 18% on fungi, 5% on bacteria, and 3% on snakes. Diverse food availability is what helped humans in Europe survive the mini ice age ( ) Biodiversity gives the potential for new foods. Right now 82% of the plant species contribute to 90% of food plants.

R EGULATING S ERVICE E XAMPLE - S OIL Which is better? jerrydgreer.wordpress.com

H OW CAN WE PUT A PRICE ON THE BIOSPHERE ? Knowing the four types of services ecosystems provide, scientists can attempt to put a price on services and their relationships.

POLLINATION EXAMPLE 70% of agricultural plants require a pollinator. 1/3 of human food is derived from plants pollinated by wild pollinators. rs.resalliance.org

C OMPARING P RICES California Academy of Sciences

S HRIMP VS. M ANGROVES ? California Academy of Sciences

Natural gas is a good we use. What we need to determine is whether or not the value of natural gas outweighs the impacts it has on other ecosystem services. NATURAL GAS EXAMPLE

Generates a lot less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, as well as other emissions. Provides jobs. Builds nation independence by harnessing our own fossil fuels. More supply can mean lower gas prices for consumers. PROS- POSITIVE VALUE

Potential to leak hazardous chemicals into drinking water. Heavy use of water that cannot be returned to the water cycle. Release of methane gas into the atmosphere. Removal of vegetation for fracking and storage sites. Increase noise, traffic, and population stress on local communities. CONS- NEGATIVE VALUE

WHICH IS BETTER?

WHAT ARE WE LEAVING FOR OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS? California Academy of Sciences