What did the environment ever do for us?

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Yesterday, Sunday 5th July, was World Environment Day. Here at AnimalEd, every day is World Environment Day! It is almost impossible to list every single service the environment provides for us, but it can be broken into four main categories: cultural, provisioning, regulating, and supporting.

Cultural

• Physical health - taking walks in nature, swimming in the ocean, white water rafting through rivers, rock climbing... there are thousands of ways that our environment facilitates us looking after our physical health!

• Mental wellbeing - spending time in nature and with animals has been scientifically proven to improve mental health.

• Tourism - eco-tourism is growing at 10-30% each year!

• Knowledge and learning

• Recreation

• Inspiration - it is no secret that many artists, writers, poets and more have gained plenty of inspiration from the natural world

• Spiritual and religious connections

Provisioning

• Food and drink - everything we are able to eat or drink, we owe to the environment around us

• Natural medicines - a lot of plants have impressive medicinal values

• Water supply

• Materials - where else would we get our lumber, cotton, slate and more from?

• Renewable and non-renewable energy

Regulating

• Clean air - in order to breathe, we rely entirely on our ecosystems

• Carbon storage

• Food management

• Erosion control - tree roots are a fantastic example of natural erosion control, helping to stabilise soil around river beds, reducing the risk of flooding

• Water purification

• Disease and natural pest control - natural predators, for example snakes, help to regulate the population of 'pest' species, like rodents.

• Pollination

Supporting

• Healthy soils

• Photosynthesis

• Nutrient cycling

• Space for wildlife - countless different ecosystems around the world provide a home for our beloved animal and plant species!

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That is a LOT of ecosystem services. So a huge thank you to the environment for ensuring we are not only able to survive, but thrive on planet Earth! The least we can do in return is start taking better care of our natural spaces - wouldn't you agree?

Thanks for reading today and, as usual, remember to always keep learning!

-- Charlie & Tiana