1.

Of the different kinds of ecosystem services you learned about, discuss two that are
important in your local area, village, forests and/or nation.

A) Provisioning services

Provision services have proved to be the major ecosystem service in Zimbabwe as it brought
more benefits to the communities especially in the rural areas. These include products obtained
from the ecosystem in the form of food, crops, and wild foods. These have helped a lot in
improving diet through consumption of wild fruits. People obtain fresh water from ecosystems
and thus the supply of fresh water is another provisioning service. Fresh water in rivers is also a
source of energy whereby it is extensively used in hydro- electric power generation. Because
water is required for other life to exist, however, it could also be considered a supporting service.
Provisioning services such as medical resources including pharmaceuticals have promoted
research in the health sector on coming up with drugs from various plants in the forests.
Ornamental resources in the form of decoration, feathers ivory have also benefited the country at
large as far as trade is concerned whereby tourists would buy the locally made artefacts by
sculptures.

B) Regulating services

Water purification by ecosystems has a high importance for Zimbabwe vegetation is a major
factor in controlling floods, water flows and quality; vegetation cover in upstream watersheds
can affect quantity, quality and variability of water supply; soil micro-organisms are important in
water purification; and soil invertebrates influence soil structure, decreasing surface runoff.
Forests, wetlands and protected areas with dedicated management actions often provide clean
water at a much lower cost than man-made substitutes like water treatment plants. This can be
seen by the important roles that the wetlands play in purifying water which in turn again lowers
the cost of chemicals to be used during purification.
Pests and diseases are regulated in ecosystems through the actions of predators and parasites as
well as by the defense mechanisms of their prey. One example of these regulating services is
provided by insectivorous birds in farms that use most of their land for agriculture.

Soil biodiversity is a major factor in soil formation, which supports a range of provisioning
services such as food, fiber and fuel provision and is fundamental to soil fertility, being a highly
important ecosystem service in Zimbabwe. In addition, a diverse soil community will help
prevent loss of crops due to soil-borne pest diseases.

2. How are these services endangered and what economic costs to society do you foresee
with their loss?

Wetlands have greatly been affected by various house construction projects that have taken place
as population increases. I foresee an increase in purchasing and use of more water treatment
chemicals if wetlands continue to be destroyed. Again serious over-grazing and improper herd
management can lead to desertification, which has serious consequences for farmers. Increased
manure supply can lead to an increase in run-off entering rivers and lakes, and threatening the
quality of water used for domestic and industrial purposes. Overgrazing harms wetlands through
soil compaction, removal of vegetation, and stream bank destabilization.

Poaching with respect to elephants for ivory can affect the tourism sector thus the economy of
the country will also be affected. Over fishing reduced the fish population hence breeding of
species will be affected as there exists an imbalance in the ecosystem.
 3. What is one action that people could take to help protect these services?

I think it is everyones duty to look after the environment. People have to adopt good farming
practices that do not promote land degradation e.g. crop rotation unlike monoculture.

Taking part in tree planting day events helps in also teaching people of the importance of trees to
our lives.

4. One or two sentences or your own personal reflection on something you learned this
week

I have learned that ecosystem services consist of flows of materials, energy, and information
from natural capital stocks which combine with manufactured and human capital services to
produce human welfare or are the benefits people obtain from ecosystems