The environment provides humans with everything we need to survive. This presentation looks at the services ecosystems deliver humanity and the importance of conserving plant biomass and diversity in order to maintain those services

1. Ecosystem services and the
importance of plant conservation
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2. Overview
 What are ecosystem services?
 Economic value and current trends of
ecosystem services
 Importance of plants
 Conservation effort and ways forward

3. Ecosystem services
 The suite of benefits that people receive
from the environment (Millenium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005)
 Include:
• Primary production
• Flood control
• Climate regulation
• Waste treatment
• Water purification, etc...

4. Ecosystem services
Provisioning
 Food
 Wood
 Fibre
 Fuel
Regulation
 Climate regulation
 Flood regulation
 Disease regulation
 Water purification
Cultural
 Aesthetic
 Spiritual
 Educational
 Recreational
Supporting
 Nutrient cycling
 Soil formation
 Primary
production
Security
 Personal safety
 Secure resource access
 Security from disasters
Basic material for
good life
 Adequate livelihood
 Sufficient nutrients
 Shelter
Health
 Strength
 Feeling well
 Clean water
Social relations
 Social cohesion
 Mutual respect
 Ability to help others
Freedom of
choice and
action
Opportunity to be
able to achieve
what an individual
values doing and
being

5. Economic value of global
ecosystem services
 Global value estimated between US$125-145
trillion per year.
 Terrestrial ecosystems ~US$75.1 trillion
• Forests ~US$16.2 trillion
• Wetlands ~US$26.4 trillion
• Grasslands ~US$18.4 billion
Constanza et al., 2014

6. Current state of ecosystem
services
• Capacity of ecosystems to provide services
is decreasing.
• Pressure from deforestation, habitat
modification, fragmentation, intensification
of land use, invasive species, pollution
Global Biodiversity Outlook 3, 2010

7. Role of plants in ecosystem
services
Food
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Fibre
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Medicine
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Wood

8. Role of plants in ecosystem
services
Water purification Carbon sequestration
watershedconnect.com atlanticcoastconservancy.org
Flood prevention Waste treatment
floodvictoria.vic.gov.au ecosystemservicesseq.com.au

9. Removal of plant biomass
 Reduced capacity for:
• Flood regulation
• Water purification
• Carbon uptake
• Waste treatment
 Potential for decrease in production of:
• Wood
• Food

10. Reduction in plant diversity
 Over 10,000 threatened plant species.
 Ecosystem productivity decreases with decreased
biodiversity.
 Loss of biodiversity reduces the stability of an
ecosystem.
 Carbon sequestration increases with diversity.

11. Conservation effort to date
 More than 10% of land is now protected in more than half of
the world's ecoregions.
 Many areas of particular importance are protected.
 Reduction in rate of deforestation in tropical forest in many
countries.
 Europe and Asia had an increase in forest cover from 2000-
2010.
 Over 170 countries have biodiversity strategies and action
plans. Global Biodiversity Outlook 3, 2010

12. Conservation effort to date
Extent of nationally protected area over time
Global biodiversity outlook 3, 2010
Million km²
Terrestrial area protected
Marine area protected
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

13. Conservation effort to date
Global biodiversity Outlook 3, 2010

14. Ways forward
 Implementation of biodiversity strategies
and action plans.
 First, look after what we still have;
 Second, repair what has been damaged.
 Integration of biodiversity strategies into
broader policies.

15. Summary
 Ecosystem services are the benefits humanity receives
from the environment.
 Capacity of ecosystem services is currently decreasing.
 A loss of plant diversity and biomass plays a role in the
efficiency of ecosystem services.
 Implementation of biodiversity strategies and integration
into broader policies is needed to reverse the current
trend of ecosystem service loss.

16. References
de Groot, R. S., Wilson, M. A., Boumans, R. M. J. (1992). A typology for the classification,
description and valuation of ecosystem functions, goods and services. Ecological economics,
41(3): 393-408.
Cardinale, B. J., Duffy, J. E., Gonzales, A., Hooper, D. U. (2012). Biodiversity loss and its impacts
on humanity. Nature, 486: 59-67.
Costanza, R., de Groot, R., Sutton, P., van der Ploeg, S., et al. (2014). Changes in the global
value of ecosystem services. Global Environment Change, 26: 152-158.
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, (2005). Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Synthesis.
Washington, DC: Island Press.
Santos, J. E., Nogueira, F., Pires, J. S., Obara, A. T., Pires, A. M. (2001). The Value of the
Ecological Station of Jatai's Ecosystem Services and Natural Capital. Revista Brasileira de
Biologia, 61(2): 171-190.
Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. (2010). Global Biodiversity Outlook 3.
Montréal, Canada: Author.
Tilman, D., Wedin, D., Knops, J. (1996). Productivity and sustainability influenced by diversity in
grassland ecosystems. Nature, 379: 718-720.