Ecosystem Services and Their Value

Ecosystems provide essential services like food, water, and cultural benefits. These services are categorized into provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural. However, human activities threaten these ecosystems, with 60% in decline. The ecosystem service approach can help protect biodiversity by considering all benefits, not just monetary ones. Monetary valuation has limitations, as it may not capture the full value of biodiversity. Non-monetary values, such as intrinsic and cultural benefits, are also crucial. Informed judgement is needed to make decisions that protect ecosystems and ensure future benefits.

Which of the following is NOT a category of ecosystem services?

• Provisioning services

• Regulating services

• Industrial services

• Supporting services

What is a major threat to ecosystem services mentioned in the video?

• Technological advancements

• Human pressures

• Natural disasters

• Increased biodiversity

How does the ecosystem service approach help in protecting biodiversity?

• By focusing solely on timber market value

• By considering a wide range of ecosystem benefits

• By planting trees only in upland areas

• By ignoring non-economic values

Why might planting trees in lowlands be more beneficial according to the video?

• It is cheaper than planting in uplands

• It optimizes the benefits provided by trees

• It avoids displacing profitable farmland

• It focuses on timber production

What is a potential risk of focusing on monetary value for ecosystem services?

• Improved ecosystem health

• Higher adaptability to climate change

• Increased biodiversity

• Reduced biodiversity

What is a limitation of genetically identical crops mentioned in the video?

• They are more vulnerable to pests

• They have high biodiversity

• They are less vulnerable to diseases

• They are more adaptable to climate change

Which method involves surveying people about their willingness to pay for ecosystem services?

• Cost-benefit analysis

• Revealed preference

• Stated preference

• Market valuation

What is a challenge of using revealed preference methods?

• They assume values are pre-formed in people's minds

• They provide exact monetary values

• They ignore personal preferences

• They are easy to implement

What is the essential difference highlighted between price and value?

• Price captures all human values

• Value is always monetary

• Price cannot capture non-marketed services

• Value is irrelevant in decision-making

What is the ultimate goal of integrating ecosystem services into decision-making?

• To focus solely on economic values

• To ensure future wealth and abundance

• To degrade ecosystems

• To commodify nature