Ecosystem services are shaped by all the benefits that nature provides to people.
These services are divided into several types, each with a different ecosystem approach and different functions for people.
Because of the advantages they offer to different productive services and to people’s work, ecosystem services are increasingly applied in countries.
Get to know in depth each one of the ecosystem services and observe if its application in your business is favorable.
Concept: Ecosystem services
Ecosystem services are those advantages or benefits coming from the ecosystems that are part of the environment.
Ecosystem services, in turn, merge care for the components of the environment with the sustainable use and development of resources.
These services have a wide utility to measure and determine the productivity of the companies, the human behavior with the environment and the determination of norms for its regulation.
It also helps to plan a management of services, to avoid an over-exploitation of the environment, to provide benefits in an equitable way and to reduce climate change.
Types of ecosystem services
Ecosystem services are classified into two: direct and indirect ecosystem services.
Direct ecosystem services are those in charge of regulating cycles or producing supplies such as food or water. Within this classification, regulation and provisioning services stand out.
Indirect ecosystem services, on the other hand, are intended to generate the processes that enable direct ecosystem services and a range of non-material benefits to occur.
Indirect ecosystem services are divided into supporting services and cultural services.
Regulating services
Regulating services provided by ecosystems are the processes that make everyday activities simple.
Some of the processes that are classified as regulating services are pollination, improvement of air quality, pest control, soil fertility, water cycle control and reduction of damage from natural events.
Support services
Supporting services are those processes in nature that are fundamental to providing provisioning, regulating and cultural services.
Since they do not directly provide a product to people, they are classified as an indirect benefit service.
The processes that are part of this type of service are photosynthesis, the water cycle, soil formation, nutrient production and climate.
Provisioning services
This category of service types consists of the products that people extract from nature.
The products can also be resources to be used immediately or require processing in the factory.
The supply services are water, food, chemicals, renewable fuels, minerals, ornamental details, raw materials, genetic resources and construction materials.
Cultural services
Cultural ecosystem services are those benefits provided by nature that are immaterial in nature.
That is, they are achieved through spiritual development, the pleasure that ecosystems bring, the excitement of outdoor activities and the thoughts generated by being in contact with nature.
They are generally associated or related to recreational, leisure, cultural or free-time activities.
Cultural services are governed by a variety of components such as the religious value of nature, the beauty and aesthetics of the landscape, the inspiration it conveys or the heritage it represents.
They also represent great advances for the knowledge of scientists, the feeling of rootedness that they generate in people who visit ecosystems and the coexistence of society with nature.
Benefits of ecosystem services
After understanding each of the types of services that comprise ecosystem services and their importance to any species, it is necessary to know what the benefits and advantages are that their use generates.
After knowing each one of the benefits provided by the ecosystem services it is important to create awareness of a responsible management of each one of them.
Damage or disruption of ecosystem services can cause long-term problems for species to enjoy a full life and products to meet their needs.
Increase the quality of life
Improvements in the quality of life increase rapidly because the resources obtained from nature are indispensable for life.
Ecosystem services provide food, compounds for medicines, water, raw materials for housing and a host of other products that make life easier.
Improvements to natural management
With regard to natural management it is important to bear in mind that the natural resources provided by nature are used at low cost and without the need to build infrastructure.
That is, tasks such as air purification or water distribution naturally work much better than if they were managed by infrastructure or processing plants.
Contributions to the economy
The raw material provided by ecosystem services is important for the economy of a given nation or region.
The productive sectors require the raw material to elaborate the products that will be sold in national and international markets.
Likewise, in addition to transforming the raw material, virgin raw material can be sold to small and medium entrepreneurs to manufacture their products according to their productive capacity.