Examples of Environmental Services

The environmental services, Ecosystem services either ecosystem services they are the set of goods and processes that occur on our planet naturally and spontaneously, and from which humanity obtains an important benefit. These terms were coined at the end of the 20th century by scientific actors seeking to express the inestimable value of natural ecosystem and insist on the importance of preserving the environment.

Environmental services are free services and of vital importance, since they are precisely those that allow the continuity of life as we know it. Humanity benefits from them directly and indirectly, but that does not prevent these services from being affected by many of our economic and industrial activities. As ecosystems deteriorate due to phenomena such as deforestation and global warming, the environmental services they provide also suffer a drastic decrease.

Types of environmental services

According to the function they fulfill, the environmental services that nature provides to humanity can be classified into four different categories:

The notion of environmental services, however, has been criticized by conservationists and politicians, who consider it a discursive strategy of part of the industrial capitalist sectors to promote the understanding of the complex natural cycles of the ecosystem in economically profitable terms, or that is, to think of nature as a service or a product that can be alienated or privatized, instead of as a phenomenon that transcends all economic considerations possible.

Examples of environmental services

Some examples of environmental services are:

1. The pollination of flowers and the dispersion of seeds, which allow the continuous renewal of plant species and their extension to different geographies.
2. the recycling of nutrients by detritophagous organisms, such as insects, bacteria Y mushrooms, whose work reintroduces nutrients to the soil.
3. The formation of the different minerals existing in the earth's subsoil.
4. The cooling of the atmosphere due to the hydrological cycle and the circulation of water in its gaseous states (steam) and liquid.
5. The fall of large masses of water that allows its use for hydroelectric purposes.
6. The natural control of pests and diseases by their predators natural.
7. The fixation of atmospheric carbon by plants and algae through photosynthesis, which helps keep the atmosphere cooler and more oxygenated.
8. The decomposition of toxic waste and pollutants by the action of the elements and the microorganisms natural.
9. Recreation in nature and scientific discovery from its observation.
10. The production of substances for pharmaceutical and medicinal use in plants and microorganisms.
11. The primary production of organic material by the autotrophic organisms (such as plants), from inorganic matter and solar energy.
12. The production of oil in the subsoils of the planet from the anaerobic decomposition of sedimentary organic matter.

References:

• “Ecosystem services” on Wikipedia.
• “What are environmental services?” in Seed Group (Colombia).
• “Environmental or ecosystem services, essential for life” in the Government of Mexico.

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