Pncima - Ecosystem Services

As the fundamental source of life on the planet, oceans give us food, oxygen, water, energy, and recreation. We wouldn’t have enough oxygen to breathe or protein to eat without healthy oceans, and the Earth’s climate would be uninhabitable for human beings and many animals. Medicines, food, and drinking water are derived from ocean processes. These processes are sometimes referred to as “ecosystem services” or “ecosystem benefits” because they are provided by natural systems.

The value of these ecosystem services (economic and otherwise)is immeasurable – all the wealth in the world couldn’t buy a substitute for the services that the ocean provides free of charge.

In the process of developing a conservation and management plan for Pncima it is important to consider the relevant ecosystem services the ocean provides.

Some of these services include:

• Water
  
• Energy
  
• Materials
  
• Biochemical and Genetic Resources
  
• Climate Regulation
  
• Natural Disaster Regulation
  
• Waste Treatment
  
• Primary Production
  
• Living Habitat
  
• Nutrient Cycling
  

Download Not Just a Pretty View - An overview of what the oceans do for us.