DAVID SALAS
environment and photography
Ecosystem Services (ES) include all goods and services of natural and modified ecosystems, which provide benefits to humans, and hold and Support their life. Such as: food production, building materials, medicines, regulation of microclimate, disease prevention, provision of productive soil and water, and landscape opportunities for recreational and spiritual benefits. In 2005, the Millenium Ecosystem Assesment distinguishes four categories of ecosystem services, where supporting services are regarded as the basis for the services of the other three categories.
Ecosystem Services (ES)
Supporting Services
Provisionning Services
Regulating Services
Cultural Services
Social systems and ecosystems are closely linked. The scales of decision of social systems are intertwined with different scales of ecosystems. The Social-Ecological Systems is a holistic, systemic and inclusive of "human-nature" concept. Therefore it is understood as a complex adaptive system in which different cultural, political, social, economic, ecological, technological, etc. components are interacting.
Social-Ecological Systems
The cities are organized systems by people. They are usually dominated by human-made structures such as buildings and streets. Many of the plants and animals in urban ecosystems are domesticated, such as garden plants and pets, but there are also wild plants and animals, such as weeds, birds and rats. Urban ecosystems are not self-sustaining, they require large quantities of inputs and produce substantial outputs in the form of wastes.
The urban ecosystem
INPUTS
OUTPUTS
SUSTAINABILITY