Tutorials on Systems Thinking
Ecosystem Services
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Human social and economic activities are inevitably dependent on properly functioning ecosystems. Ecosystems that are recognized and managed as a continuous system will continue to provide the natural benefits we enjoy.
- Food to eat (from farms, fishing)
- Water to drink, fish in and swim in
- Materials to build shelter and make clothes
- Opportunities for recreation, aesthetic beauty
These few examples demonstrate how much of our social and economic lives depend on the proper functioning of ecosystems. We need to consider what we take from them and what we do to them when we make decisions. This requires a ‘systems’ context and a ‘systems’ way of thinking.