Question 5: What is an ecosystem service? List any four important ecosystem services provided by the natural ecosystems. Are you in favour or against levying a charge on the service provided by the ecosystem?
Answer:
Ecosystem services are defined as the benefits that is obtained by the people from the ecosystem. According to the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), this process provides value to the individual and the society as well. For example: forest provides us pure air, water, cyclic nutrients, also provides aesthetic, cultural and spiritual values. Ecosystem services are divided into four major categories:
For the maintenance and sustainable utilization of ecosystem services, biodiversity is very important. Various ecosystem services are important that are as follows:
- Maintenance of various gases that is present in the atmosphere
- Natural pest control
- Formation and protection of soil
- Conservation and purification of water
- Nutrient cycling etc.
There should be no charge for the ecosystem services because they are provided naturally, i.e. by nature. But if they are used freely then we should take proper care of them and properly used so that our future generation also meets the requirements of these services. Every citizen or individual should be educated so that they can understand the value of ecosystem services. Prices of these services should also be available to the public so they can estimate properly, how it should be used or saved.
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