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Ecosystem services in neigbourhoods - Coggle Diagram
Ecosystem services in neigbourhoods
Why are urban neighbourhoods regarded as ecosystems?
An ecosystem is a geographical area where living communities and non living environments interact with each other to form a bubble of life
activities carried out by people may directly or indirectly change the ecosystems either positively or negatively
people are integral parts of ecosystems and dynamic interactions exist between people and other parts of the ecosystem
every aspect in ecosystems depends on one another, directly or indirectly
ecosystems vary in size
What are ecosystem services?
benefits brought about by nature to people
produced by living and non-living environment of ecosystems
critical to our survival and are optimised when we have a healthy and thriving natural environment
these ecosystem consists of
provisioning services
regulating services
cultural services
supporting services
what are provisioning ecosystem services?
refers to the tangible resources that people can get from ecosystems such as food water and wood
Food is one of the most important provisioning services provided by nature to people and it can be obtained through means such as agricultural activities and fisheries
They can also be found in an urban neighbourhood ecosystem
What are regulating ecosystem services
regulating ecosystem services refer to the benefits obtained from the regulation of various ecosystem processes
includes services such as climate regulation, disease outbreak regulation and food regulation
These ecosystem processes work together to ensure that the ecosystems are functional,clean,sustainable , and resilient to changes
In an urban neighbourhood, these include microclimate regulation , food mitigation as well as air and water quality control
regulating local climate:
trees in Bishan-Ang mo kio park can lower surface and air temperatures by providing shade to residents
On a larger scale, forests can help to cool areas by generating rainfall
regulating water flows:
The vegetation cover in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio park can reduce surface runoff by retaining water in the soil.This is also known as water flow regulation.
its a key services provided by natural land cover
regulating local air quality:
The trees or other plants in the park play an important role in regulating air quality by removing pollutants from the atmosphere.
What are cultural ecosystem services?
Cultural ecosystem services refers to intangible benefits people benefit from the ecosystem,including aesthetic experiences,education opportunities and recreational activities
In an urban neighbourhood the presence of green spaces can provide many cultural ecosystem services such as aesthetic appreciation and opportunities for stress-relieving activities
These activities may improve people's physical and mental health and foster social belonging and group identity,thus strengthening their sense of place.
residents may also gain aesthetic experiences from natural objects in urban neighbourhoods such as heritage trees, skyrise greenery and community garden,
what are supporting ecosystem services
services that are necessary for the functioning of all other ecosystem services, including soil formation, pollination and photosynthesis
for instance, soil is formed when micro-organisms and physical processes decompose organic matter and break them down into smaller particles
soil is essential for the health of all terrestrial ecosystems as it provides a habitat for billions of organisms, contributes to biodiversity, and acts as a water filter
soil formation, as a supporting service, ensures that human activities such as agriculture can take place
In urban neighbourhoods, animals like wild bees play a significant role in crop pollination which is vital as it ensures that crops are able to reproduce to provide food for animals and humans
During photosynthesis, plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, and this maintains the oxygen content of the Earth's atmosphere. This ensures that all other ecosystem services can function.