Ecological Goods and Services

Ecological Debt

The past two centuries of economic growth and prosperity have carried an incredibly high cost in terms of water and air pollution, loss of natural areas and biodiversity. Is this a cost that will be expressed by future generations as an "ecological debt"?

Ecological Goods and Services

All life on earth depends upon ecological goods and services. These goods and services are the basis of all natural resources that we depend upon for healthy living, recreation and culture, and for sustaining our economies.

 Ecology is the scientific study of the interactions among organisms and their natural environments. The word "ecology" comes from the Greek word oikos, which means "house", thus ecology focuses on the organism and its surroundings. Some of these ‘interactions’ are expressed as food chains and food webs overlain by energy flow (sunlight) as well as water and nutrient cycling.

Ecology is a multidisciplinary study with a systems approach - focusing on the individual and all the interdependent parts that make up an ecosystem. This approach is necessary to understanding how one part of the environment may have significant effects on other parts. The practical value of ecological studies is to be able to determine the impact of human use on the landscape before detrimental changes in the environment, such as changes to energy flow, water and chemical balances, are detected. This is especially significant with respect to resource development that is dependent on modifying the ecosystem, in a major way.

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What are Ecological Goods?

Ecological ‘goods’ are the products of the processes and interactions (described above) of natural systems.  For example, plants, capturing energy from the sun, combined with water and nutrients from the soil and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, are able to manufacture food for use by all other organisms. The food is considered a ‘good’. 

The process of the decomposition of plant material (an ecological service), results in soil production (an ecological ‘good’).  This ecological good allows us to grow food agriculturally, that is, "human assisted food production".  The processes of seed dispersal and pollination of plants by birds and insects, which are ecological services, in turn produce plants -an ecological good.  The nutrients we derive from plants we consume, which we depend upon for our health, are ecological goods resulting from many ecological services.

Ecological goods are valuable and essential to our survival.  Our cultural, social and economic lives are dependent upon these goods that come from the processes of ecological systems and their services, some of which include:
  • Clean Atmospheric Air
  • Fresh water
  • Food (and the nutrients (vitamins and minerals) derived from plants and animals)
  • Fiber
  • Timber
  • Other raw building materials
  • Genetic resources
  • Medicines

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What are Ecological Services?

The processes and conditions of the natural world and all its creatures provide us with essential services that we require for life support.  These services are called, "ecological services".

Based on the “ecological” definition stated above, ecological services are the result of interactions among organisms and their natural environments, including the cycling of water and basic nutrients, that humans are able to use and capitalize on.  These services are essential to life on earth. An obvious example would be as follows:

An apple seed finds itself in soil that contains the required moisture and nutrients and the right conditions to germinate and grow.  The leaves capture energy from the sun and with moisture and nutrients in the soil and carbon dioxide from the air, are able to produce wood and fruit that we can utilize to sustain our lives.

Services that may not be so obvious are ones that we may not readily see, for example:

Over half a million rural Albertans are dependent on groundwater for their domestic and livestock use.  We drill wells and pump the water to the surface for our use; what we do not see or fully understand is the complex way in which the groundwater is replenished.  Temporary wetlands on the surface allow minute portions of their water volume to slowly infiltrate into the deep aquifer from which we draw our water. Another important ‘service’ may be the removal of harmful chemicals from the watershed by vegetation along streams and wetlands (called the riparian area).

Ecological services that humans often take for granted, include:
  • purification of air and water
  • mitigation of floods and droughts
  • detoxification and decomposition of wastes
  • generation and renewal of soil and natural vegetation
  • pollination of crops and natural vegetation
  • control of the vast majority of potential agricultural pests
  • dispersal of seeds and translocation of nutrients
  • maintenance of biodiversity, from which humanity has derived key elements of its agricultural, medicinal, and industrial enterprise
  • protection from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays
  • partial stabilization of climate
  • moderation of temperature extremes and the force of winds and waves
  • support of diverse human culture
  • providing aesthetic beauty and intellectual stimulation that lift the human spirit.
(The above list of ecological services taken from Natures Services-Habitat as Infrastructure, a review of Nature’s Services: Societal Dependence on Natural Ecosystems, edited by Gretchen Daily. Island Press, 1997.)

ECOLOGICAL GOODS AND SERVICES ARE THE PRODUCTS OF THE
“ECOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS” OF ECOSYSTEMS.

We depend on Ecological Good and Services!

We depend on ecological goods and services everyday for health, social, cultural, and economic needs.  Ecological functions are the base resources that sustain our lives.  They occur in the air, on the land, in the water, in our communities and they  produce the ‘natural resources’ which we depend upon for food production, clean water supplies, medicine, recreation and for our livelihoods.  Agricultural landscapes that are functioning ecologically will recharge ground water, maintain fertile soil and ensure a diversity of healthy plants and organisms, which in turn allows local producers to continue producing safe, healthy, high quality food for the long term.  Urban landscapes and their communities can help to maintain  ecological functions through "smart growth" or alternative development strategies such as the integration of natural areas, farmland (ie: community gardening and market gardens) natural beauty, wildlife habitat and sensitive environmental areas into its landscapes, combined with higher density housing and the use of alternative transportation (such as bike paths and increased public transit), renewable energy, natural resource conservation and pollution (water, land and air) reduction strategies.  The sustainability of communities and economies depends upon our ability to maintain or restore the ecological functions of both urban and rural landscapes.

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Threats to Availability of Ecological Goods and Services

  • Land-use change and irreversible conversion of landscapes and their ecological functions.
  • Disruption of biogeochemical cycles such as the cycles of Nitrogen, Carbon and Phosphorus.
  • Disruption of the water cycle and ground water recharge
  • Invasion/introduction of exotic (non-native) organisms
  • Toxins, pollutants and human wastes
  • Changes in chemical composition of the atmosphere and ozone depletion
  • Climate change
The products and processes of Ecological Goods and Services are complex and occur over long periods of time - periods that are much too long for any person in their lifetime to see and truly understand. The perceptual world of the individual human is largely restricted to short time frames and local areas where they live, work or travel. Therefore, the effects of individual decisions and behaviors can rarely be fully understood within a lifetime. With this in mind it in very important to reduce, wherever possible, the threat of irreversible damage to our ecological systems and the goods and services they provide.

(The information listed above was modified from Threats of Availability of Ecosystem Goods and Services)

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What can individuals do to maintain or restore Ecological Goods and Services?

Consumer choices have one of the greatest impacts on the quality of food, water and the natural environment.

Here are some ways we can become part of the solution to maintaining or restoring the ecological functions that produce the goods and services we depend upon:
  1. Find out how and where products are made. Choose products produced with methods that conserve resources, minimize waste and reduce or eliminate environmental damage.
  2. Buy products produced locally, where ever possible. This can help to:
    *Reduce the amount of energy (natural resources) used in the transport and storage of goods, thereby conserving ecological goods (ie. use travel coffee mugs and reusable water bottles; opt for fabric shopping bags instead of plastic, etc).

    *Reduce the amount of pollutants going into the environment resulting in the reduction of damage to ecological systems.

    *Support local communities and economy
  3. Choose products made with methods that reduce or eliminate the use of pesticides and artificial fertilizers:

    Examples of methods that work with and protect ecological processes:

    Integrated Pest Management (IPM)- a sustainable agricultural approach to managing pests that combines biological, cultural, physical and chemical tactics in a way that minimizes economic, health and environmental risks.

    Crop Rotation – the use of legumes and forage crops to reduce the use of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, to add organic matter (nutrients) to the soil, to help retain moisture and to assist in reducing the establishment of pest by changing their habitats.

    Intercropping Methods – increases efficiency in nutrient use; the use of companion crops can assist in repelling pests; and adds diversity to the field.

    Using Native Plants – using plants which are well adapted to the local area often reduces or eliminates the need for fertilizers, pesticides and irrigation. In addition, they attract and provide habitat for birds, butterflies and beneficial insects.
  4. Become a volunteer steward (contact us for more information)
  5. Reduce personal consumption and waste production - conserve water and use gray water (recycled water), reduce energy consumption and support renewable energy alternatives where ever possible; compost, recycle, and reduce the use of disposable goods.
  6. Use public transit, cycle or walk to conserve natural resources, reduce pollution and enjoy the health benefits
  7. Support "smart growth" and join or start a community garden.
  8. Reduce the use of pesticides and herbicides, use native plants in your garden and lawn and provide habitat for wildlife.
  9. Become a part of the solution to maintaining healthy people, landscapes and economy through consumer choices that help to pay producers and processors for extras costs associated with using methods that maintain or restore ecological functions that produce the goods and services we depend upon.

EFFECTIVE STEWARDSHIP MAINTAINS AND RESTORES THE ECOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS WHICH PRODUCE THE GOODS AND SERVICES WE, AND FUTURE GENERATIONS, DEPEND UPON.