M10 - Health and Wellness as Ecosystem Services

• Provisioning


  Usually materials provided by the environment for the direct use of individuals
• Regulating


  Processes that moderate something into a certain level
• Cultural/Aesthetic/Ethical Services


  Non-material benefits gained through experiences
• Supporting


  Necessary for all the production of other ecosystem services
• Provisioning

  • Food
  • Fresh water
  • Fuel
  • Wood
  • Fiber
  • Biochemicals
  • Genetic resources
• Regulating

  • Climate
  • Disease
  • Water
  • Water purification
  • Pollination
  • Storm Protection
• Cultural

  • Spiritual & Religious
  • Recreation & ecotourism
  • Aesthetic
  • Inspirational
  • Educational
  • Sense of place
  • Cultural heritage
• Supporting

  • Soil formation
  • Nutrient cycling
  • Primary production
• What makes an ecosystem healthy?

  Stable - resilient, biodiversity, homeostasis
• What makes an ecosystem healthy?

  Sustainable - providing ecosystem services
• What makes an ecosystem healthy?

  Organization - maintain its structure
• What makes an ecosystem healthy?

  Function - energy and material cycling
• Agriculture


  One of the major contributors to biodiversity loss
• Eutrophication

  process in which nutrients accumulate in a body of water, resulting in an increased growth of microorganisms that may deplete the water of oxygen.
• Agricultural runoff and aquaculture waste


  rich in nitrogen and phosphorus
• Eutrophication


  • Leads to excessive algal growth
  • Blocks sunlight
  • Bacteria utilize oxygen to decompose dead algae → creation of dead zones
• Ecosystem health


  the sustainability of an ecosystem that needs a minimal external support by management measures.

  • This notion is closely interrelated to the ability of an ecosystem to provide and sustain ecosystem services
• Indirect drivers of change

  • Demographic
  • Economic (globalization, trade, market, policy framework)
  • Sociopolitical (governance, institutional and legal framework)
  • Science and technology
  • Cultural and religious (beliefs, consumption choices)
• Direct drivers of change

  • changes in local land use and cover
  • species introduction or removal
  • technology adaption and use
  • external inputs (fertilizer use, pest control, irrigation)
  • harvest and resource consumption
  • climate change
  • natural, physical, biological drivers (evolution, volcanoes, etc)
• Total economic value (TEV)

  • measure of economic value of environmental asset
  • cost-benefit analysis that refers to the value people get from a natural resource compared to not having it
  • TEV= UV (use value) + NUV (non-use value)
• Use value


  • value derived from the actual direct or indirect use of the resource or service

  • Option value - value that people place on having the option to enjoy something in the future, although they may not currently use it.
• Non-use / Passive use values

  1. Existence values - non-use value that people place on simply knowing that the resource exists, even if they will never see it or use it
  2. Bequest value - value that people place on knowing that future generations will have the option to enjoy something.
•  Why would drivers of change impact biodiversity and ecosystem services?

  • Disruptions in living systems can impact the material world, while changes in the physical environment affect living organisms.
  • Humans rely on ecosystems for food, resources, and clean water, but their ability to manipulate the environment has caused significant disturbances, posing threats to both the biosphere & human survival
• Aquaculture


  habitat simplification and pollution, leading to dead zones in water bodies.
• decline in marine biodiversity

  caused by overfishing, global warming, etc
• Synthetic inputs (fertilizers and antibiotics)


  worsen issues of biodiversity loss and disruption of natural cycles since they cause imbalances in soil and water nutrient distribution
• Philippines


  considered as a biodiversity hotspot, with urgent conservation efforts needed in many areas