Ecosystem services; provisioning and cultural services with Indian examples

Meaning of ecosystem services

Ecosystem services are the benefits that human beings obtain from ecosystems: the products of natural processes, such as forests cleaning the air and water. The DU syllabus classes them as provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting services. Provisioning services are the material goods we take from nature; cultural services are the non-material benefits we draw from it. Both are described below with Indian examples.

Provisioning services

Provisioning services are the products people obtain directly from ecosystems. Some are used by the people who collect them (consumptive use), others are sold (productive use).

1. Food. Fruits, roots, honey and edible leaves gathered from forests; fish from rivers, lakes and the sea; grains from farm ecosystems. Example: mahua flowers and tendu fruits collected by tribal families in the forests of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand; the marine fish catch on which coastal Kerala depends.
2. Fresh water. Rivers, lakes and groundwater for drinking, farming and industry. Example: the forested catchments of the Western Ghats feed rivers such as the Kaveri and the Krishna.
3. Fuel and fodder. Firewood for cooking and fodder for cattle. Example: village common lands and forests supplying firewood across rural India.
4. Timber and fibre. Wood for building, and fibre, cane and gum for household articles. Example: bamboo and cane crafts of Assam and Tripura.
5. Medicines. Medicinal plants known for generations, and wild species as raw material for new medicines. Example: neem, tulsi and amla used in Ayurveda.
6. Genetic resources. Wild relatives of crops and animals that breeders use to develop new varieties.

Cultural services

Cultural services are the non-material benefits people get from ecosystems through recreation, learning, beauty and belief.

1. Recreation and tourism. National parks and sanctuaries offer a wilderness experience of recreational value, and ecotourism is a non-consumptive use of nature. Example: tiger safaris in Ranthambore and Jim Corbett National Parks; houseboats on the backwaters of Kerala.
2. Aesthetic value. The beauty of mountains, forests and rivers enriches human life and inspires art and writing. Example: the Valley of Flowers in Uttarakhand.
3. Education and research. Natural areas are used for scientific research and bird-watching. Example: bird-watchers at Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, and field visits to Delhi's biodiversity parks.
4. Spiritual and religious value. Rivers, mountains and groves are sacred in many traditions. Example: the Ganga at Varanasi; the sacred groves of Meghalaya and the devrais of Maharashtra, protected by village belief.
5. Existence value. People value wildlife and nature simply for existing, an ethical and emotional bond. Example: public support for saving the Great Indian Bustard.

Conclusion

Provisioning services feed and supply us; cultural services give meaning, rest and knowledge. Both depend on healthy ecosystems, so overharvesting a forest for its goods also destroys the cultural and recreational value of the same forest.