Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
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Figure 1
Diagram showing the strength of linkages between ecosystem service
categories and the components of human well-being. (Source: adapted
from the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment).
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Note that soils only appear
as a supporting service.
can be found in a growing body of literature including works such as Nature's
Services
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and An Introduction to Ecological Economics.
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The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) has had huge impact and
has been successful in bridging the science-policy divide, linking ecosystem
services to human well-being and decision making. The concept presented in
the 2005 report (Figure 1), with provisioning, regulating and cultural services
maintained by supporting services and mapped to human well-being, has
created a profound overarching framework for this. The challenge since its
publication has been to take these ideas and make them into an operational
system for decision making. This presents a test on many fronts; for example:
what constitutes an ecosystem service; which should be valued; how should
they be valued; who derives benefits? We therefore take some time here to look
at how the concepts and definitions within the ecosystems approach are
developing.
1.2.1 Ecosystem Goods and Services
Looking at fundamentals, a 'good' is defined as ''a physical or tangible item, a
product that can be seen, tasted, felt, heard, or smelled''. It can be owned, and
satisfies some human want or need, or something which people find useful or
desirable. Conversely, a 'service' is by definition more abstract, ''a type of
economic activity that is intangible and insubstantial, it cannot be touched,
gripped, handled, looked at, smelled, tasted or heard. It is not stored and does
not result in ownership; a service is consumed at the point of sale.'' Thus, in
