Ecosystem Services
Ecosystem services are the benefits that humans obtain from ecosystems. The vast majority of these services are usually taken for granted, but they are essential for human wellbeing. There is a growing interest in ecosystem services for two main reasons:
- to provide sustainable resources for human wellbeing that will meet the Millennium Development Goals and
- to provide incentives for ecosystem conservation
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment divided ecosystem services into four categories and this has provided a framework for ongoing studies of ecosystem services:
- provisioning services (e.g. water, food, drugs and genetic resources)
- regulating services (e.g. flood attenuation, herbivory, pest control and pollination)
- supporting services (e.g. primary production, nutrient cycling) and
- cultural services (e.g. recreational, spiritual and cultural benefits)
What we do
The Applied Biodiversiy Research Division's programme on ecosystem services focuses on two main issues:
- How does biodiversity contribute to ecosystem services?
- What benefits will the focus on ecosystem services provide for biodiversity conservation?
One of the initial thrusts in ecosystem services is that it provides benefits for agriculture. Food security is a key issue all over the world and agriculture is one of the main sources of land transformation, with concomitant impacts on biodiversity. Studies of ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes can explore the relationship between biodiversity conservation, sustainable land use and food security.
Insect pollination is essential in the production of several agricultural crops. SANBI is leading the South African component of the Global Pollination Project (co-ordinated by FAO) - a project which is examining the conservation and sustainable management of pollinators for agriculture. Related to this work is the Honeybee Forage Project, of particular importance in South Africa where agriculture relies heavily on the managed honeybee - which requires adequate year-round forage for colony health.
The work of the Ecosystem Services team can be summarised as follows:
- Crop pollination services in South Africa
- Honeybee forage
- Natural enemies in the agro-ecosystem
- Insect diversity, ecosystem services and land management practices
- Rangeland productivity
- Valuation of pollination ecosystem services
- Operational model for classifying ecosystem services
Who we are and how to contact us
Permanent and Contract Staff
Prof John Donaldson (Head of Unit) (PhD Zoology)
Dr Colleen Seymour (PhD Zoology)
Dr Ruan Veldtman (PhD Entomology)
Dr Jonathan Colville (PhD Zoology)
Carol Poole - Projects Co-ordinator
Mbulelo Mswazi - Outreach and communications
Current Post Docs, Students, & Interns
Annalie Melin (PhD, University of Cape Town)
James Hutton-Squire (MSc, Stellenbosch University)
Mariëtte Brand (PhD, Stellenbosch University)
Tlou Masehela (PhD, Stellenbosch University)
Past Post Docs and Students
Dr Luisa Carvalheiro (Post Doc, University of Pretoria)
Awraris Shenkute (MSc, University of Pretoria)
Gebreamlak Tesfay (MSc, University of Pretoria)
Madelé Mouton (MSc, Stellenbosch University)
Marianté Herbst (MSc, University of Cape Town)