Our natural world had been quietly and modestly supporting itself for many millions, if not billions of years before the arrival of humans. There are elegant and efficient systems in place to provide for life, buffer against natural disasters and maintain a dynamic balance. These are called ecosystem services. Yet humanity has systematically destroyed the natural world over the past few hundred years, to the point where these ecosystems no longer perform their services correctly. Services such as flood prevention, water filtering, food production and carbon storage are all amenities offered freely by the natural world.
Nowadays, we are spending more and more to produce clean water, protect communities from flooding and feed arable crops. There is an arms race to come up with man-made products, structures and innovation that can carry out these functions. And enormous sums of money being spent to develop these ideas. But what if we just let nature do its job correctly? What is nature actually worth to us, and how can we begin to recognise its true value?
What are Ecosystem Services: Defining Nature’s Support System
Ecosystem services are typically divided into four key categories: provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services. Provisioning services include the production of goods such as food, fresh water, timber, and medicinal resources. Regulating services help manage essential ecological processes, like climate regulation, flood control, and air and water purification. Cultural services enhance human wellbeing through recreation, aesthetics, and spiritual significance. Finally, supporting services maintain the conditions for life on Earth, including soil formation and nutrient cycling.
When discussing what ecosystem services are, we are just asking what nature does to provide for humans, for free. These services are the invisible infrastructure of the natural world. Without them, human life becomes more expensive, more difficult, and significantly less healthy. Yet until quite recently, they are largely overlooked. When we consider the value of the natural world, politicians and policy makers still fail to grasp the true significance of their loss.
Examples of Ecosystem Services in the UK
Across the United Kingdom and the world, ecosystem services are at work every day. From the Scottish Highlands to the rolling hills of the South Downs, these services support both rural communities and urban centres.
Take peat bogs, for example. Found throughout England and Scotland, these waterlogged landscapes are some of the most effective carbon sinks on the planet. They store vast quantities of carbon dioxide, helping to regulate global climate. However, when degraded by human activity, peatlands can release that stored carbon, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. Restoring and protecting these habitats is therefore critical not just for biodiversity, but also for tackling climate change. Peat bogs also store vast amounts of water, capturing flood water and releasing it slowly downstream. This capture and gradual release helps protect vulnerable rural communities from flash flooding events. The kind of event that will likely occur with greater frequently in our changing climate.
Ecosystem Services for Food Production
Another powerful example is pollination. In the UK, bees, wasps, flies, beetles, moths, butterflies and other wildlife contribute to the pollination of crops like apples, beans, and oilseed rape. These pollinators provide an ecosystem service estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of pounds annually to the agricultural sector. Without them, farmers would face reduced yields and increased costs associated with artificial pollination.
There are currently programs in place to try and design robotics that can replace bees should our pollinator populations decline even further. However, these technologies come with a plethora of problems including powering them, maintenance, sourcing materials and manufacture. These efforts would surely be better spent trying to protect and rebuild wild pollinator populations.
Biodiversity is Another Ecosystem Service Example
Woodlands and hedgerows deliver a variety of ecosystem services. Trees purify the air, reduce flooding by slowing rainwater runoff, and offer habitat to countless species. In ancient woodlands, the biodiversity is especially rich. These areas often provide significant cultural and recreational value to local communities, but remain fragmented and threatened.
Biodiversity is essential for the maintenance of natural ecosystems that rely on key species to perform different functions within the environment. These species are in turn supported by the ecosystems. Should these species disappear, the function of biodiversity should be to replace them in the natural order, making sure that all niches are fulfilled and the ecosystem maintained. Similarly, when invasive species appear, healthy biodiversity can cope with the intruder and help mitigate the effects. In this way, biodiversity is about having a safety net and maintaining balance.
Urban Ecosystems: Green Infrastructure in Cities
Ecosystem services are not confined to rural areas. Urban environments, too, benefit from nature’s services. Parks, gardens, and green roofs in cities such as London, Manchester, and Birmingham help regulate temperature, reduce air pollution, and absorb rainwater to lower the risk of flooding.
These green spaces also play a crucial role in improving mental health and wellbeing. During the Covid pandemic, many people found solace in local parks, an example of how ecosystem services extend to emotional and psychological wellbeing. The connection between mental health and access to nature is increasingly recognised in both scientific research and urban planning.
The Importance of Healthy, Functioning Ecosystems
Healthy ecosystems are healthy, they are more effective and resilient in delivering ecosystem services. When ecosystems become degraded through pollution, habitat destruction, or invasive species, their ability to provide these services declines. In many cases, restoring ecosystems to their former state is a slow and expensive process, if it is even possible at all.
Preventing degradation is far more efficient. That means proactive conservation, habitat protection, and better land-use planning. In the UK, projects such as river restoration, wetland restoration, and the expansion of native woodlands for biodiversity and other ecosystem services are examples of efforts that aim to enhance and safeguard the ecosystems that benefit everyone.
Ecosystem Services and the Economy
Despite their fundamental importance, ecosystem services are often undervalued or excluded from traditional economic calculations. When land is developed for housing or infrastructure, the long-term loss of natural services is rarely factored into the decision-making process.
However, this is beginning to change. In 2021, the UK Treasury published the Dasgupta Review, a landmark report that called for the integration of natural capital into economic thinking. The review argued that the economy is embedded within nature, not external to it, and that maintaining ecosystem health is essential for long-term prosperity.
By recognising the true value of ecosystem services, we can make better decisions about land use, agriculture, forestry, and urban development. Policies that support ecosystem restoration, sustainable farming, and conservation-friendly planning are no longer just about saving wildlife, they are investments in public health, economic stability, and climate resilience.
The Future of Ecosystem Services in the UK
Looking ahead, the need to protect and enhance ecosystem services is more urgent than ever. Climate change, population growth, and unsustainable land use continue to put pressure on the natural systems that support us.
The good news is that solutions exist. Nature-based approaches to flood defence, carbon capture, and even public health are gaining momentum. By aligning economic development with ecological principles, the UK can build a more resilient and equitable future.
But success depends on public understanding and political will. We all have a role to play in safeguarding the ecosystems that serve us—whether that’s by supporting conservation charities, planting native species in our gardens, or advocating for greener policies in local government.
Why Ecosystem Services Matter
So, what are ecosystem services? They are the invisible, invaluable systems that make life not just possible, but liveable. They support our food, water, climate, health, and happiness. In the UK and around the world, the ecosystems that provide these services are under threat, and it’s up to people like us to protect them.
Understanding and valuing ecosystem services is not just a scientific or political issue, it’s a personal one. By nurturing healthy, functioning ecosystems, we secure our own futures too.
Why Skilled People Are Essential to Protecting Ecosystem Services
Maintaining and monitoring ecosystems isn’t a passive process. It requires knowledge, expertise, and sustained effort. This is why trained professionals such as ecologists, conservationists, and environmental scientists are vital. These individuals carry out biodiversity surveys, track ecological change, manage protected areas, and inform policy makers.
Education and training play a huge role in cultivating this expertise. University programmes in ecology, conservation biology, and environmental management only go so far and usually fall short of teaching the practical skills needed to implement conservation management or ecological consultancy programs. At Ecology Training UK we are passionate about bridging this gap and creating accessible courses to train the next generation of ecologists and conservationists.
