What are ecosystem services?
Q: What are ecosystem services?
A: Ecosystem services are processes by which the natural environment produces resources that are useful to people, including clean water and air, flood control, pollination of crops, mitigation of environmental hazards, pest and disease control, carbon sequestration, as well as aesthetic, cultural and ethical values associated with biodiversity.
Q: Why is the concept of ecosystem services important?
A: The concept of ecosystem services is important because it helps us understand the value of the natural environment to human well-being and economic development.
Q: What is natural capital?
A: Natural capital refers to the stock of natural resources, such as air, water, land, biodiversity, and minerals, that contribute to human well-being and economic development.
Q: What was the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment?
A: The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment was a report released in 2005 that assessed the state of the world's ecosystems and the services they provide to humans.
Q: What did the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment reveal?
A: The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment revealed that 60% of ecosystem services are used in a way that destroys them.
Q: Why is it important to preserve ecosystem services?
A: It is important to preserve ecosystem services because they are vital to human well-being and economic development, and their destruction can have devastating consequences for the environment and society.
Q: What are examples of ecosystem services that are under threat?
A: Examples of ecosystem services that are under threat include clean water and air, pollination of crops, and carbon sequestration.
