Fresh water is vital to human life and economic wellbeing,
and societies draw heavily on rivers, lakes, wetlands,
and underground aquifers to supply water for drinking,
irrigating crops, and running industrial processes. The benefits
of these extractive uses of fresh water have traditionally
overshadowed the equally vital benefits of water that remains
in stream to sustain healthy aquatic
ecosystems. There is growing recognition
that functionally intact and biologically
complex freshwater ecosystems provide
many economically valuable commodities
and services to society (Figure 1). The
services supplied by freshwater
ecosystems include flood control,
transportation, recreation, purification of
human and industrial wastes, habitat for
plants and animals, and production of fish
and other foods and marketable goods.
These human benefits are what ecologists
call ecological services, defined as “the
conditions and processes through which
natural ecosystems, and the species that
make them up, sustain and fulfill human
life.” Over the long term, healthy freshwater
ecosystems are likely to retain the adaptive
capacity to sustain production of these ecological services in the
face of future environmental disruptions such as climate change.
Fresh water is vital to human life and economic wellbeing,and societies draw heavily on rivers, lakes, wetlands,and underground aquifers to supply water for drinking,irrigating crops, and running industrial processes. The benefitsof these extractive uses of fresh water have traditionallyovershadowed the equally vital benefits of water that remainsin stream to sustain healthy aquaticecosystems. There is growing recognitionthat functionally intact and biologicallycomplex freshwater ecosystems providemany economically valuable commoditiesand services to society (Figure 1). Theservices supplied by freshwaterecosystems include flood control,transportation, recreation, purification ofhuman and industrial wastes, habitat forplants and animals, and production of fishand other foods and marketable goods.These human benefits are what ecologistscall ecological services, defined as “theconditions and processes through whichnatural ecosystems, and the species thatmake them up, sustain and fulfill humanlife.” Over the long term, healthy freshwaterecosystems are likely to retain the adaptivecapacity to sustain production of these ecological services in theface of future environmental disruptions such as climate change.
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