Uploaded on 2016-07-05 by Alejandro Juan Pineda Sánchez

1. Ecosystem services in your living area: I will do this exercise with my current living city, Elche. Is a small city (about 300.000 people) in the south-east coast of Spain. According to group of the four ecosystems, in this city we can find, for example: a) Provisioning services: a1) Food: the field of rural areas around the city generates various types of fruits (pomegranate) and vegetables (artichoke) that are exported to the rest of the country and other foreigners countries. a2) Fresh water: the river provides water for industrial use, and underground aquifers for people consumption. b) Regulating services: b1) Local climate and air quality: the city has many palm trees (declared world heritage) in its streets, which helps improve the thermal cofort, reducing heat and increasing humidity. b2) Carbon sequestration and storage: this palm trees also works as carbon stores, removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and effectively locking it away in their tissues. b3) Erosion prevention and maintenance of soil fertility: palm trees also prevent soil erosion in the river basin. c) Habitat or Supporting services: c1) Habitats for species: the palm grove and the river basin facilitate the reproduction of various species of birds and insects, maintaining the biodiversity of the system. d) Cultural services: d1) Recreation and mental and physical health: the river basin has paved areas and walkways to run and play sports in a green environment. d2) Aesthetic appreciation and inspiration for culture, art and design: the palm grove and the river serve as inspiration for many local artists. The city has a cultural network of spaces and activities, mostly free to the public. The picture that i have upload is from the river basin, which concetrates a lot of these ecosystems.