Our previous discussion on ‘Life of land’ introduced us to the idea of adding animals to the ecosystem to improve our environment, more specifically climate change. If you have ever taken the time to watch an episode of Animal Planet, you already have a visual picture of what an ecosystem should look like. If watching nature is not your cup of tea, however, then this definition will put everything in perspective. An ecosystem according to National Geographic is a geographical area where plants, animals and other animals as well as weather and landscape work together to form a bubble of life.

Ecosystems contain both living and nonliving parts. The living portion of an ecosystem includes plants, animals and other organisms. The nonliving part comprises rocks, temperature and humidity. With each part of the ecosystem depending on one another, it should be understood that any slight change in the usual running of things will affect another part of the system. A perfect example of this can be demonstrated in instances where animals depend on plants for food and shelter. In such a scenario where trees are cut down, or a bushfire occurs, this drastically affects the normal running of things in the ecosystem. Animals in such a case are forced to adapt to the changes, move to another ecosystem or in extreme cases die.

It is safe to say that Earth is simply a series of connected ecosystems, however, the smooth running of all these activities depends on human intervention. Ecosystems play a crucial role in regulating climate, soil, water and air quality. The first requirement of a healthy ecosystem can be narrowed down to its diversity and it is our job to protect our ecosystems at all costs.

Protecting our ecosystems is no easy task. However, while we urge each other to protect our ecosystem, we much first understand the role ecosystems play in our planet. These roles are called ecosystem services. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Report 2005 defined ecosystem services as benefits people obtain from ecosystems and are distinguished into four categories of ecosystem services. These are:

Regulating services
a) Purification of water and air
b) Carbon sequestration and climate regulation
c) Waste decomposition and detoxification
d) Predation regulates prey populations
e) Biological control pest and disease control
f) Pollination
g) Disturbance regulation

Provisional services
a) Providing food (including seafood), crops, wild foods, and spices
b) Raw materials such as lumber, skins, fuelwood, organic matter, fodder, and fertilizer)
c) Genetic resources such as healthcare
d) Medicinal resources
e) Energy such as hydropower and biomass fuels
f) Ornamental resources including fashion, handicrafts, jewelry

Cultural services
a) Recreational experiences
b) Science and education
c) Therapeutic (including eco-therapy, social forestry and animal-assisted therapy)

Supporting services
a) soil formation
b) Habitat provision

“An ecosystem that has the maximum amount of diversity is the richest.”

– Robert Greene