Ecosystem services supplied by tropical forests

Abstract

Balvanera, P. (2012). Ecosystem services supplied by tropical forests. Ecosistemas 21(1-2):136-147

Ecosystem services are the benefits societies obtain from ecosystems. This concept allows to explicitly address the interdependence of human  well-being and the maintenance of the adequate functioning of ecosystems. Tropical forests provide critical ecosystem services worldwide due to the high biodiversity they host and their contribution to key ecological  functions such as the regulation of climatic and hydrological processes. This article aims at reviewing the ecosystem services that these forests deliver, including an analysis of the main regulating and cultural services they provide. The topics discussed are: i) the relationship between the components and processes of tropical forests and their ability to  deliver services, ii) the effects of management on the delivery of services, iii) the social drivers underpinnings of service delivery, iv) the interventions that contribute to maintaining or restoring ecosystem services.