Nature's Ecosystem Services - Links for Life

Natural ecosystems are made up of countless plants and animals - ranging from people to microscopic bacteria - interacting with each other and their surroundings.

Our environment produces resources that we often take for granted such as clean water, timber, habitat for fisheries and pollination of crops. The process of providing many services, like clean air and water, is so complex that we cannot duplicate these functions with technology.

Nature's goods and services provide countless benefits upon which human civilization depends - seemingly for free - that actually add trillions of dollars to our economy each year.