Uploaded on 2017-08-21 by Mitali Kumar

WHAT ECOSYSTEM SERVICES DO YOU HAVE IN AND AROUND YOUR LIVING AREA? GIVE AT LEAST ONE EXAMPLE FOR EACH OF THE FOUR TYPES OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES. MAKE CLEAR IN YOUR ANSWER WHERE YOU CAN FIND THE ECOSYSTEM SERVICE AND WHAT THE ECOSYSTEM OFFERS TO YOUR LIVING AREA. TO SUPPORT YOUR ANSWERS YOU ARE ASKED TO PROVIDE ONE OR MORE IMAGES FOR EVERY EXAMPLE THAT DESCRIBE THE RESPECTIVE SERVICES. A. PROVISIONING SERVICES B. REGULATING SERVICES C. HABITAT OR SUPPORTING SERVICES D. CULTURAL SERVICES The example given below is for the city of Lucknow, capital of Uttar Pradesh, India. 1. Provisioning services: The city of Lucknow is fed water via Gomti River. The Gomti River, an alluvial river of the Ganga Plain and one of the important tributaries of the Ganga, originates near Mainkot, from a lake– ‘Fulhar Jheel’ in Madhotanda, about 30 km. east of the Pilibhit town in Uttar Pradesh at an elevation of 185 m. (about 55 km. south of the Himalayas foothills). Majority of the surface area of the Gomti Basin is generally flat, sloping towards South and South East with altitude varying from 200 m. to 62 m. above mean sea level. For about 450 km. from the origin, the difference in the elevation is about 100 m. and for the remaining stretch of 500 km., there is an elevation difference of 25 m.The characteristic of the river is perennial. The river is characterized by sluggish flow throughout the year, except during the monsoon season, when heavy rainfall causes a manifold increase in the runoff. 75% dependable flow in September has been recorded as 125 cumec at Hanuman Setu, Lucknow. The average lean flow recorded for the month of April, has been 15 cumec. The total drainage area of the river is 30,437 sq. km. 2. Regulating Services: The city of Lucknow is located in the indo gangetic plains; Lucknow has a total of only 4.66 percent of forest, which is much less than the state average of around 7 percent. But several Parks and StreetSide vegetation has been incorporated in the city design. 3. Habitat or Supporting Services: Shisham, dhak, mahuamm, babul, neem, peepal, ashok, khajur, mango and gular trees are all grown here. Different varieties of mangoes, especially Dasheri, are grown in the Malihabad adjacent to the city and a block of the Lucknow district for export. The main crops are wheat, paddy, sugarcane, mustard, potatoes, and vegetables such as cauliflower, cabbage, tomato, and brinjals. Similarly, sunflowers, roses, and marigolds are cultivated over a fairly extensive area. Many medicinal and herbal plants are also grown here while common Indian monkeys are found in patches in and around city forests such as Musa Bagh. The Lucknow Zoo, one of the oldest in the country, was established in 1921. It houses a rich collection of animals from Asia and other continents .The zoo also has enjoyable toy train rides for the visitors. The city also has a botanical garden, which is a zone of wide plant diversity. 4. Cultural Services: Lucknow is a town of historic importance, with several monuments representing the ideals of indo-saracenic Architecture, and several public parks which hold sentimental and cultural value for the people. Places such as Lucknow Zoo, Lohia Park, Hazaratganj (popular shopping alley in the city), Bara Imambara (monument holding historic value) are of prime importance and attract several visitors in a day.