Ecosystem Services in New Zealand
Ecosystem services: the benefits people obtain from nature. The idea of managing natural resources based on ecosystem services is gaining traction internationally.
For this approach to be successful in NZ, we need a comprehensive understanding of the state of our ecosystem services. More than 100 of the country's leading scientists and academics have penned chapters for a new book 'Ecosystem Services: Conditions and Trends', the first overview of ecosystem services in NZ.
Ecosystem services can be categorised as follows:
- Provisioning - such as food and fresh water
- Regulating - such as air quality
- Cultural - such as recreation and a sense of belonging
- Supporting - such as soil quality and natural habitat resistance to weeds