Ecosystem Services in the Gulf of Mexico
| Humans benefit from a variety of products and services provided by the environment, which are called ecosystem services (ES). These ES are the contributions from the environment that support, sustain, and enrich human life and are generally divided into four categories: supportive (e.g. nutrient cycling), regulating (e.g. disturbance regulation), provisioning (e.g. food), and cultural services (e.g. recreation). |  Source:www.texasexplorer.com/surfside |
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Although ecosystem services are important, cases in which they have been applied to real policies and decisions are rare. For society to make informed decisions about a sustainable use of the environment, a link from the quantification of ES to society's needs is necessary. The two main goals of the GecoServ database are to allow for the distribution and sharing of information about ES valuation studies relevant to Gulf of Mexico region and to identify current gaps in the ES literature. The studies summarized here are for habitats that are relevant to the Gulf region even though they may have been conducted elsewhere. To begin your search click on 'Valuation Database' above. |
*Beta version David Yoskowitz, PhD Carlota Santos, MBA
General Editor Managing Editor
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