Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 2.3
Ecosystem services.
Provision Food, fiber, fuel
Biomolecules
Freshwater
Genetic resources
Cultural Recreation
Inspiration
Aesthetics values
Support Soil formation and retention
Nutrient cycling
Production of atmospheric oxygen
Water cycling
Regulation Climate regulation
Storm protection
Erosion control
Water purification
Pest control
Disease control
Pollination
Seed dispersion
Adapted from Díaz et al., 2005.
Picture 2.1
Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge in southeast Louisiana. A sediment fence has been
placed to help the restoration of the marsh.
Courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Overexploitation of “common goods”
Several natural resources, such as water aquifers, the atmosphere, and fish in international
waters, are common goods not owned by anyone in particular. Other resources are privately
owned; however, they still provide “common” services to everyone on the planet. For instance,
excluding protected areas, most forests and wetlands are in the hands of private owners.
However, these ecosystems fix carbon and provide oxygen, which are common benefits for all
inhabitants. Another example is the release of carbon dioxide from fossil fuels to the
atmosphere. We pay for fuels, but we use the atmosphere as an unlimited sink for the by-product
of burning these fuels.
