Discuss how natural ecosystems provide valuable ecosystem services to humankind

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Because we are part of natural ecosystems we share in the benefits they provide in supporting all species that inhabit them. For example, the food chains and webs by which energy and materials flow through ecosystems provide pest control (e.g. predators) and pollination, which is a byproduct of the feeding by certain animals, mainly insects, on plant flowers. Forests purify water moving through watersheds, control erosion, provide complex habitats for species of great economic value to us, provide timber and remove pollutants such as carbon dioxide from air. Soils provide essential mechanisms for the movement of nutrients in biogeochemical cycles and their fertility is indispensable for plant growth. Finally, all aspects of ecosystems provide intangible services of aesthetic, recreational and cultural value which contribute greatly to our psychological and spiritual well being.