Ecosystem Services: Why Should We Protect Them?

My topic for my “write and respond” essay is ecosystem services and why they should be protected. I am going to be exploring ecosystem services in terms of energy and quantifying how much energy would be wasted by replacing certain ecosystem services with man made systems. Ecosystem services are contributions that the ecosystem gives to humans that can either be direct or indirect. There are four ways of classifying ecosystem services: provisioning services, regulating services, cultural services, and supporting services. Ecosystem services are comprised of a combination of plants, soil, animals, air, and water. If any of these resources are depleted, then their ability to provide ecosystem services disappears. Some broad examples of ecosystem services include pollination, pest control, climate regulation, food, water purification, and spiritual enrichment. The most recognized ecosystem service is outdoor recreation; this is used by humans. Research has shown that citizens are willing to pay for upkeep and access to outdoor areas because it improves the well being of those who use it. People are not able to see the importance of every ecosystem service because they are “free” and their value is overlooked. These services not only provide livelihood to the organisms within the ecosystem, but they also produce most of our living needs as humans. Human activity is the main cause of destruction to ecosystems and if we continue on our current path, we will not be able to provide for later generations. Not only does replacing ecosystem services harm humans and inhabitants of the ecosystem, but it also is not sustainable. An ecosystem naturally sustains itself and is able to provide resources that it needs to survive without outside help. If we were to replace any ecosystem service, it would not be self sustainable and we would have to provide all of the resources in order for it to work. In the event that we deplete all of the Earth’s natural resources, we will not be able to provide the materials necessary to replace the ecosystem services.

Another reason why ecosystem services are important is due to their containment of biodiversity. Biodiversity is in essence the term for variety on Earth; this includes differences between species but also differences within species as well. Biodiversity allows for species to adapt to change and to survive extreme conditions. There are five main benefits to biodiversity which include: economics, ecology, recreation, culture, and science. Economic benefits of biodiversity provide humans with materials for consumption and production. Some ecological benefits of biodiversity are clean water, air, water purification, pollination, and pest control. Recreational benefits include hiking, fishing, sightseeing, picnicking, and overall just enjoying nature. Biodiversity also provides cultural benefits which encompass aesthetic expression through wildlife and spirituality of plants and animals. From a scientific standpoint, biodiversity allows us to study different species and gather information to use to advance society. Although there are many benefits that I have already discussed, I am going to be focusing on ecosystem services and the consequences of replacing them. In outline, I will be doing an advocacy piece on ecosystem services from an energy standpoint and why they should be protected. 

Due to the fact that ecosystem services are “free”, they are often seen as not having any value. They are not easily quantifiable or measurable, which causes people to see them as useless from an economic standpoint. One ecosystem service that is of great value to our society is water purification. Ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, and grasslands purify water and allow it to be used by all living organisms. One example of how water is purified can be shown through wetlands. When there is sediment, chemicals, and excess nutrients from land runoff, wetlands filter the waste before it reaches any open water. Plants and microorganisms absorb and store excess nutrients so they do not cause issues such as algal bloom. Algal bloom blocks light and thus oxygen availability, making it impossible for organisms at the bottom of the wetland to survive. All organisms within the ecosystem are essential to a wetland’s survival and are also critical to the survival of humans. Carbon and greenhouse gases are also taken care of because they are stored in sinks of wetlands as opposed to being released into the atmosphere.  Excess sediment can also be harmful to humans if it ends up in drinking water and wetlands serve as a place for sediment to settle before it travels to other areas. The water purification process that is provided by aquatic ecosystems supplies water for not only drinking, but also for industry, recreation, and wildlife habitats. 

Although ecosystem services have intrinsic benefits for the planet as well as humans, they also are valuable because they allow us to benefit without any costs. When an ecosystem is unhealthy, it may lose some or all of its beneficial qualities. Replacing these services may not be possible, most likely will be extremely expensive, or might be environmentally costly. If we do not protect ecosystems that purify water, we will lose the natural benefit of water purification that they provide to us for free. If these ecosystems are unable to purify water, they must be replaced by water treatment facilities. One major cost of having to replace wetlands/forests/grasslands with a man made water purifier is energy consumption. Not only is installing a water treatment facility costly financially, but it also uses a lot of energy that would not be used otherwise. I am going to be quantifying how much energy would be used by installing a water treatment facility and I will be using Penn State’s water consumption as an example. 

To start, Penn State uses around 550 million gallons of water per year, based on information from the Sustainability Institute at Penn State. Hypothetically, if there was no ecosystem healthy enough to purify any water around the Penn State area and all of it was polluted, it would need to be replaced by a water treatment facility. Water purification by a water treatment facility starts with the area that you are trying to purify the water from.The first step is conveyance, which is moving the water from one place to another. In order to do this, you first have to make sure that you are using efficient pump systems, capturing energy from water going downhill, and storing water to be used at later times. In terms of energy, conveyance uses between 0-14,000 kwh/MG (kilowatt hours per million gallons). Just for an example, I am going to assume that the water treatment facility would use the most energy required, which is 14,000 kwh/MG. Since Penn State uses 550 million gallons per year, I multiplied 550 MG by 14,000 kwh/MG. The results of this calculation were 7,700,000 kwh.  The second step of water purification is the actual treatment of the water. This step uses between 10-16,000 kwh/MG. I also assumed that the worst case scenario and that the maximum amount of energy would be used. I multiplied 550 MG by 16,000 kwh/MG. From this calculation I got 8,800,000 kwh. During the water treatment phase you must install SCADA software: this analyzes, organizes, and monitors data in real time. This software directly interacts with devices such as valves, pumps, sensors, and motors that are used in the water purification process. It is also crucial to install efficient disinfectant equipment, implement lighting, and also HVAC in the facilities. The next step is distribution, which uses between 700-1,200 kwh/MG. Lastly, I assumed the maximum amount of energy that could be used in this process which is 1,200 kwh. I took 550 MG and multiplied it by 1,200 kwh/MG and got 660,000 kwh. During this phase, it is important to reduce any distribution leaks and implement automatic meter reading. The distribution phase is where water is ready for consumption in agriculture, industry, and by humans. 

Ecosystem services should be protected not only for their intrinsic benefits to humans and the planet, but more importantly because we are able to utilize them without any financial/environmental costs. Some intrinsic benefits that I discussed previously are recreation, well being, and spirituality. If we destroy the ecosystems that provide these ecosystem services, we are forced to replace them with man made systems. Specifically, I discussed the impact of replacing the ecosystem service of water purification with a water treatment center. In total, if we were to replace the ecosystem service of water purification with just one water treatment center, we would be using 17,160,000 kwh of energy which is a huge waste. Ecosystems already provide us with everything we need to survive without any cost; there are only cons to replacing ecosystem services. With the growing movement towards protecting the environment and being sustainable, now is an opportune time to speak out and take a stance. If more people could see the impact of ecosystem services and how valuable they are to society, I believe they would be more willing to fight to protect them. I hope that over time we are able to stop the damage that is being done to the planet and work on creating a sustainable future for coming generations. 

Here are my calculations:

\[ \frac{1 \text{ MG}} {14,000 \text{ kwh}} \times \frac{1 \text{ year}}{550 \text{ MG}} = 7,700,000 \text{ kwh/year} \]

\[ \frac{1 \text{ MG}} {16,000 \text{ kwh}} \times \frac{1 \text{ year}} {550 \text{ MG}} = 8,800,000 \text{ kwh/year} \]

\[ \frac{1 \text{ MG}} {1,200 \text{ kwh}} \times \frac{1 \text{ year}} {550 \text{ MG}} = 660,000 \text{ kwh/year} \]

References

American Association for the Advancement of Science. (n.d.). Ecosystem Services-Water Purification. Retrieved November 17, 2019, from Science Netlinks website: http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/ecosystem-services-water-purification/ 

Biodiversity Information System for Europe. (n.d.). Ecosystem services.Retrieved November 11, 2019, from Biodiversity Information System forEurope website: https://biodiversity.europa.eu/topics/ecosystem-services 

Cemagref. (2012, September 17). Protecting ecosystems brings benefits to society[Blog post]. Retrieved from Science Daily website:https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120917132148.htm 

Cresswell, I., & Murphy, H. (2016). Importance of biodiversity. Retrieved fromAustralia State of the Environment website:https://soe.environment.gov.au/theme/biodiversity/topic/2016/importance-biodiversity 

GreenFacts. (n.d.). Ecosystem services. Retrieved November 17, 2019, fromGreenFacts: Facts on Health and the Environment website:https://www.greenfacts.org/glossary/def/ecosystem-services.htm 

Taylor, L. (2019, July 2). How Do Wetlands Purify Water? [Blog post]. Retrieved  from Sciencing website: https://sciencing.com/do-wetlands-purify-water-7585568.html

The Pennsylvania State University. (2015, October 22). Penn State revamps water system. Retrieved from https://sustainability.psu.edu/spotlight/penn-state-revamps-water-system 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). Energy Efficiency in Water and Wastewater Facilities [PDF]. EPA , 1-56. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-08/documents/wastewater-guide.pdf 

Wilson, E. O., Chivian, E., & Bernstein, A. (2010). Why do we need to protect biodiversity?. Retrieved from Environment-European Commission website:https://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/biodiversity/intro/index_en.htm