Blog

Lessons from A (Broader) Community on Ecosystem Services

Overview: A Community on Ecosystem Services 

What are Recreational Ecosystem Services?

Blog post by Marcus Becker, Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute

Cultural Ecosystem Services in Alberta

 When we talk about valuing ecosystem services we’re often referring to a monetary value that’s placed on a tangible benefit the environment gives us. We understand the dollar value of a farmer producing food for consumption, but what about the benefits of being in nature that don’t have a dollar value attached to them? Nature can give us a sense of belonging, provide a place to practice our spirituality, or a landscape to hike and take in the aesthetic beauty of our surroundings. These intangible benefits belong to a subcategory of ecosystem services called ‘cultural ecosystem services’ and while it’s a bit more challenging to define the value of these services they still play an important role in making decisions on the landscape.