1. Eco-System Services

2. The concept of Ecosystem Services has developed gradually for over a century as a way of recognizing the dependence of human societies on nature-based systems. Ecosystem services is defined as, the conditions and processes by which natural ecosystems, and the species that make them up, sustain and fulfil human life.

3. Some of what sustains human life is: Food Drinkable Water Breathable Air Livable Climates

4. Provisioning services These are the products people obtain from ecosystems

5. Provisioning services con’t Eg. Food. This includes the vast range of food products derived from plants, animals, and microbes.

6. Regulating Services These are the benefits the society obtains from the regulation of ecosystem processes.

7. Regulating Services con’t Eg. Freshwater storage and retention. Ecosystems provide water by watersheds, reservoirs and aquifers. Waste processing. Ecosystems can be a source of impurities (e.g., in fresh water) but also can help to filter out and decompose organic wastes introduced into inland waters and coastal and marine ecosystems and assimilate and detoxify compounds through soil and sub-soil processes. Erosion control and sediment retention. Vegetative cover, beaches or each type of land close to coastal and marine ecosystems play an important role to prevent landslides and loss of soil by wind, runoff, or other processes.

8. Cultural Services These are the nonmaterial benefits people obtain from ecosystems through spiritual enrichment, cognitive development, reflection, recreation, and aesthetic experiences

9. Cultural Services con’t Eg. Cultural and amenity. Each ecosystem has its own culture and amenities which are one factor influencing its inhabitants’ lifestyle. Recreational. People often choose where to spend their leisure time based in part on the characteristics of the natural or cultivated landscapes in a particular area.

10. Supporting Services Supporting services are those that are necessary for the production of all other ecosystem services.

11. Supporting Services con’t Eg. Biochemical. Each ecosystem, thanks to its high level of biodiversity, provides many genetic and biochemical resources for agricultural and pharmaceutical industries