Ecosystem Services in Agricultural and Urban Landscapes

Download or read book Ecosystem Services in Agricultural and Urban Landscapes written by Stephen Wratten and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2013-01-14 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ecosystem services are the resources and processes supplied by natural ecosystems which benefit humankind (for example, pollination of crops by insects, or water filtration by wetlands). They underpin life on earth, provide major inputs to many economic sectors and support our lifestyles. Agricultural and urban areas are by far the largest users of ecosystems and their services and (for the first time) this book explores the role that ecosystem services play in these managed environments. The book also explores methods of evaluating ecosystem services, and discusses how these services can be maintained and enhanced in our farmlands and cities. This book will be useful to students and researchers from a variety of fields, including applied ecology, environmental economics, agriculture and forestry, and also to local and regional planners and policy makers.