These include provisioning services such as food and water; regulating
services such as flood and disease control; cultural services such as spiritual,
recreational, and cultural benefits; and supporting services such as nutrient
cycling that maintain the conditions for life on Earth.
Provisioning services are: The products obtained from
ecosystems, including, for example, genetic resources, food and fiber, and fresh
water.
Regulating services are: The benefits obtained from the
regulation of ecosystem processes, including, for example, the regulation of
climate, water, and some human diseases.
Cultural services are: The non-material benefits people
obtain from ecosystems through spiritual enrichment, cognitive development,
reflection, recreation, and aesthetic experience, including, e.g., knowledge
systems, social relations, and aesthetic values.
Supporting services are: Ecosystem services that are
necessary for the production of all other ecosystem services. Some examples
include biomass production, production of atmospheric oxygen, soil formation and
retention, nutrient cycling, water cycling, and provisioning of habitat.