Ecological Concepts and Services

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Ecological Services

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The benefits that nature provides to humans, including resources and processes that support life.

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Provisioning Services (Sources)

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The material or energy outputs from ecosystems. 

Including food, water, and other resources.

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Regulating Services (Sinks)

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Services that help control natural processes. Such as cleaning air and water, managing floods, and reducing disease.

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Supporting Services

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Services that maintain the conditions for life, such as providing habitats for plants and animals and ensuring biodiversity.

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Cultural Services (Spiritual)

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Non-material benefits we receive from nature, like beauty, recreation, and spiritual experiences.

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Biocapacity

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The ability of an ecosystem to produce useful biological materials and absorb waste materials generated by humans.

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Ecological Footprint

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A way to measure how much area (land) and resources we need to support our lifestyle, including the resources we use and waste we produce.

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Biome

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A large area characterised by specific climate conditions, plants, and animals, such as forests, deserts, and grasslands.

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Ecological footprint measures

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The ecological footprint measures human demand for ecological services and considers the regenerative capacities of biomes and ecosystems

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Biodiversity

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The variety of different types of living things in a particular area, including plants, animals, and microorganisms.