Uploaded on 2016-04-17 by TessElizabeth

***Category: Provisioning services*** ***Sub-category: Fresh water*** ***Example: Melbourne Water*** Melbourne Water is the company in charge of all catchments that supply the greater Melbourne area with fresh, clean water. Many of the catchments are off limits to the public and are protected areas. Below is a map of the all the catchments that come under Melbourne Water and supply the people of Melbourne with their water. ![Melbourne Water catchments][1] My household is with a sub-division of Melbourne Water called Yarra Valley Water, who are our direct point of contact for bills etc. They provide us with all of our fresh water for the usual household needs – kitchen, bathroom, washing, gardening. Our water comes from the Thomson River, which is the largest reservoir on the above map, and holds up to 60% of Melbourne’s water. Below is an image of the Thomson Reservoir. ![Thomson Reservoir][2] ***Category: Regulating services*** ***Sub-category: Waste-water treatment*** ***Example: Western Treatment Plant*** There are two waste-water treatment plants in Victoria, Australia – the Eastern Treatment Plant and the Western Treatment Plant, the latter of which would be the one that carries waste and water from my household. The plant is located in Werribee, processes around half of Melbourne’s sewage and also produced almost 40 billion litres of recycled water each year that gets used in places likes parks, gardens and conservation areas. Below are two images of the Western Treatment Plant that show the lagoon structure of the water treatment process. ![Western Treatment Plant][3] ![Western Treatment Plant][4] ***Category: Habitat or supporting services*** ***Sub-category: Habitats for species*** ***Example: Western Grassland Reserves*** The Victorian Government has committed to two grassland reserves that will help protect endangered native grasslands and threatened species. There reserves are known as the Western Grassland Reserves. The reserves will protect the largest remaining concentration of volcanic plains grasslands in Australia, as well as many different types of plant and animal species. ![Western Grassland Reserves][5] ![Western Grasslands Reserves][6] ***Category: Cultural services*** ***Sub-category: Recreation and mental and physical health*** ***Example: Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria*** There are two major botanic gardens in Victoria, one is located just on the edge of the Melbourne CBD and the other is in Cranbourne, roughly an hour’s drive from the city. Both of these botanic gardens offer people the chance to walk among nature, to feel relaxed, to have picnics, read, take photographs and just generally find a sense of wellbeing. The Cranbourne Botanic Garden also has an added element of design for any budding landscape architects or garden designers. There are four images below – the first two are of the gardens in Melbourne and the next two are of the gardens in Cranbourne. ![RBG Melbourne][8] ![RBG Melbourne][9] ![RBG Cranbourne][10] ![RBG Cranbourne][11] [1]: http://melbournecatchments.org/wp-content/uploads/wss_map_lrg.gif [2]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/1460875604754457.jpg [3]: http://www.dutchwatersector.com/uploads/2015/02/dws-rhdhv-nereda-melbourne-wwtp2-770px.jpg [4]: http://www.melbournewater.com.au/whatwedo/treatsewage/PublishingImages/mw00395-WTP.jpg [5]: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f86aibHz-wg/TcCL62eGivI/AAAAAAAAAC0/pIcSgSCyD94/s1600/Picture+073.jpg [6]: http://bwvp.ecolinc.vic.edu.au/sites/default/files/styles/guide_thumb/public/Buloke_01_0.jpg [7]: http://animaliaz-life.com/image.php?pic=/data_images/plains-wanderer/plains-wanderer1.jpg [8]: http://static.thousandwonders.net/Royal.Botanic.Gardens.Melbourne.original.9510.jpg [9]: http://www.melbourneplaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Steps-to-wind-temple.jpg [10]: http://www.bganz.org.au/images/A%20Garden.jpg [11]: http://thenomadicexplorers.com/sites/default/files/users/65/images/australia-victoria-melbourne-339/DSC09346.jpg