| Sl.No | Ecosystem service | Ecosystem functions | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
Provisioning services |
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| 1 | Water supply | Storage and retention of water. | Provisioning of water by watersheds, reservoirs and aquifers. |
| 2 | Food production | That portion of gross primary production extractable as food. | Production of fish, game, crops, nuts, fruits by hunting, gathering, subsistence farming or fishing. |
| 3 | Raw materials | That portion of gross primary production extractable as raw materials. | The production of lumber, fuel or fodder, biomass fuels |
| 4 | Genetic resources | Sources of unique biological materials and products. | Pharmaceuticals, Medicine, products for materials science, biochemicals, genes for resistance to plant pathogens and crop pests, ornamental species (pets and horticultural varieties of plants) |
Regulating services |
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| 5 | Climate regulation | Regulation of global temperature, precipitation, and other biologically mediated climatic processes at global or local levels. | Greenhouse gas regulation, DMS production affecting cloud formation. |
| 6 | Gas regulation | Regulation of atmospheric chemical composition. CO2/O2 balance, O3 for UVB protection, and SOx levels. | |
| 7 | Disturbance regulation | Capacitance, damping and integrity of ecosystem response to environmental fluctuations. | Storm protection, flood control, drought recovery and other aspects of habitat response to environmental variability mainly controlled by vegetation structure. |
| 8 | Water regulation | Regulation of hydrological flows. | Provisioning of water for agricultural (such as irrigation) or industrial (such as milling) processes or transportation. |
| 9 | Erosion control and sediment retention | Retention of soil within an ecosystem. | Prevention of loss of soil by wind, runoff, or other removal processes, storage of stilt in lakes and wetlands. |
| 10 | Soil formation | Soil formation processes. | Weathering of rock and the accumulation of organic material. |
| 11 | Pollination | Movement of floral gametes. | Provisioning of pollinators for the reproduction of plant populations. |
| 12 | Waste treatment | Recovery of mobile nutrients and removal or breakdown of excess or xenic nutrients and compounds. | Waste treatment, pollution control, detoxification. |
| 13 | Biological control | Trophic-dynamic regulations of populations. | Keystone predator control of prey species, reduction of herbivory by top predators. |
Supporting services |
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| 14 | Nutrient cycling | Storage, internal cycling, processing and acquisition of nutrients. | Nitrogen fixation, N, P and other elemental or nutrient cycles. |
| 15 | Refugia | Habitat for resident and transient populations. | Nurseries, habitat for migratory species, regional habitats for locally harvested species, or overwintering grounds. |
Cultural services |
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| 16 | Cultural | Providing opportunities for non-commercial uses. | Aesthetic, artistic, educational, spiritual, and/or scientific values of ecosystems. |
| 17 | Recreation | Providing opportunities for recreational activities. | Eco-tourism, sport fishing, and other outdoor recreational activities. |
1. Ecosystem services are the beneficial outcomes, for the natural environment or people, that result from ecosystem functions.
2. Ecosystem functions are the physical, chemical, and biological processes or attributes that contribute to the self-maintenance of an ecosystem.
