The function and perception of urban ecosystem services in the society

Abstract

The urban development that is now taking place globally has led to the most extensive permanent land use that has caused ecosystems to be destroyed and the depletion of natural resources. Today, about 50% of the world's population lives in urbanized cities and by 2030 it is estimated to be about 70%. The fact that we gather in larger numbers in cities means that we transport large volumes of resources to these areas, which gives rise to waste and emissions, which places a burden on the neighboring environment to the it’s limits. This leads to problems for both human health and society's economy, which is because the ecosystems that help us, collapse. To counter this, a better urban planning is required which includes the environment in society as ecosystem services. The problem with ecosystem services is that they do not have a commercial value, which makes it difficult to implement since they do not indicate any economic gain. Therefore, it is necessary to increase knowledge about how they contribute so that they can be correlated to how they contribute to society from three aspects: economic, social, environmental.