Ecosystems services and provisioning service

Ecosystems services

Humankind benefits in a multitude of ways from all kinds of ecosystems: agroecosystems, forest ecosystems, grassland ecosystems, aquatic ecosystems, natural ecosystems, urban ecosystems, etc. Collectively, these benefits are known as ecosystem services. The services can be divided into four different categories.

Provisioning services

Provisioning Services are ecosystem services that describe the material or energy outputs from ecosystems. They include food, water and other resources.

• Food: Ecosystems provide the conditions for growing food. Food comes principally from managed agro-ecosystems but marine and freshwater systems or forests also provide food for human consumption. 
• Raw materials: Ecosystems provide a great diversity of materials for construction and fuel including wood, biofuels and plant oils, that are directly derived from wild and cultivated plant species.
• Fresh water: Ecosystems play a vital role in the global hydrological cycle, as they regulate the flow and purification of water. Vegetation and forests influence the quantity of water available locally.
• Medicinal resources: Ecosystems and biodiversity provide many plants used as traditional medicines as well as providing the raw materials for the pharmaceutical industry. All ecosystems are a potential source of medicinal resources.