Uploaded on 2016-04-03 by Victor_Pescador

a. Provisioning services. Ecosystems provide the conditions for growing food. Food comes principally from managed agro-ecosystems but marine and freshwater systems or forests also provide food for human consumption. Wild foods from forests are often underestimated. In the case of Canary Islands, with a scarcity of territory, we have import ecosystems to provide food, in this case the most important one is the banana tree, as shown in the picture below. ![Banana trees][1] b. Regulating services Trees provide shade whilst forests influence rainfall and water availability both locally and regionally. Trees or other plants also play an important role in regulating air quality by removing pollutants from the atmosphere.Due to the good weather conditions, Canary Islands are a hot spot in biodiversity, in the new suburb areas of the cities there is a special concern in providing tree areas and parks, in order to reduce the heat Island phenomenon. ![][2] c. Habitat or Supporting services Genetic diversity is the variety of genes between and within species populations. Genetic diversity distinguishes different breeds or races from each other thus providing the basis for locally well-adapted cultivars and a gene pool for further developing commercial crops and livestock. Some habitats have an exceptionally high number of species which makes them more genetically diverse than others and are known as ‘biodiversity hotspots’. Canary Islands are part of the Macaronesia area, with the most important biodiversity in Europe, for such and small Territory. ![][3] d. Cultural services Ecosystems and biodiversity play an important role for many kinds of tourism which in turn provides considerable economic benefits and is a vital source of income for many countries. In 2008 global earnings from tourism summed up to US$ 944 billion. Cultural and eco-tourism can also educate people about the importance of biological diversity. The Canary Islands, due to its sun and sand important tourism, on the late years is starting a new type of tourism based on the bird watch and whale and dolphin watch among others, that are contributing to the local economy. ![][4] [1]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14597219984942158.jpg [2]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14597223291959437.jpg [3]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14597225419505709.jpg [4]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14597228009628589.jpg