Ecosystem Health
An ecosystem is made up of all of the living and nonliving things in an area. This includes all of the plants, animals, and other living things that make up the communities of life in an area. An ecosystem also includes nonliving materials—for example, water, rocks, soil, and sand. A swamp, a prairie, an ocean, and a forest are examples of ecosystems.
Animals tend to find their habitats within an ecosystem. For animals, an ecosystem is like a neighborhood, where a habitat is an address or home within that neighborhood. Human activities and development can disturb habitats to the point where animals can no longer meet their basic needs.
The survival of humans is inextricably linked to ecosystem health. Our cities need to prioritize whole landscape improvement for the collective benefit of the people, the animals, and plants. Ecological restoration is ‘‘holistic’’ when it seeks ‘‘not only to help impaired ecosystems recover lost complexity, functionality, structure, and ‘health,’ but also to increase their social, economic, and cultural desirability in the eyes of local residents and other stakeholders’’. An alternative framework of stewardship and not ‘ecosystem services’ helps humans focus on the obligations to care for nature, not only the monetary terms which nature can provide.
Sustainable Site Initiative Guidelines for
Sustainable Land Development & Management Practices
Global Climate Regulation: Maintaining a balance of atmosperheic gases at historical levels, ensuring breathable air, and sequestering greenhouse gases
Local Climate Regulation: Regulation local temperature, precipitation, and humidity through shading, evapotranspiration, and windbreaks
Air and water cleansing: Removing and reducing pollutants in air and water
Water supply retention: Storing and providing water within watersheds and aquifers
Erosion and sediment control: Retaining soil within an ecosystem, preventing damage from erosion and siltation
Hazard Mitigation: Reducing vulnerability to damage from flooding, storm surge, wildfire, and drought
Pollination: Providing pollinator species for the reproduction of crops and other plants
Habitat functions: Providing refuge and reproduction habitat to plants and animal, thereby contributing to the conversation of biological and genetic diversity and evolutionary processes
Waste decomposition and treatment: Breaking down water and cycling nutrients
Human health and well-being: Enhancing physical, mental, and social well-being as a result of interaction with nature
Food and reenable nonfood products: Producing food, fuel, energy, medicine, or other products for human use
Cultural benefits: Enhancing cultural, educational, aesthetic, and spiritual experiences as a result of interaction with nature
Sources:
Claire Latané, Schools That Heal
Jonathan W. Long, Frank K. Lake, Ron W. Goode, and Benrita Mae Burnette: How Traditional Tribal Perspectives Influence Ecosystem Restoration
National Wildlife Federation - Schoolyard Habitats® Planning Guide