Ecosystem Services - Nature’s Freebies at Risk
Ecosystems provide a wealth of “free” services to people all over the world. There are four types of ecosystem services:
1. Provisioning – this means things like producing water and food (meat and crops), or producing energy (hydropower)
2. Regulating – this means things like carbon sequestering, where CO2 is captured from the atmosphere. Forests are a good example of this “regulating” service - all the wood that makes up the trees is made of carbon, which comes from the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
3. Supporting – this means things like how ecosystems help to cycle nutrients like nitrogen.
4. Cultural – this means things like using ecosystems for recreation (like ecotourism) or for inspiration (think of Monet and his water lilies).
Satellites to monitor the impact of climate change on ecosystems
Climate change and the emergence of infectious disease
60 seconds with....Kate Jones, on her project
The predicted changes to our climate will affect the health and functioning of ecosystems. This might mean we lose the benefits we gain from these services, which will have major implications for society and economies world-wide.
Climate change and host/pathogens dynamics
60 seconds with....Jon Bielby, on his project
