 EcosystemChristina Wulf, Petra Zapp and Sally Springer Chapter 51 in Elgar Encyclopedia of Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment, 2026, pp 179-180 from Edward Elgar Publishing Abstract: Ecosystems play a pivotal role in supporting human well-being by offering essential goods and services like food production or climate regulation. The consequences of human activities on ecosystems can have far-reaching effects, influencing the sustainability and resilience of natural systems. Ecosystems, a term extending beyond ecology, are complex interactions among living organisms and their non-living environment. These ecosystems comprise various components, including biotic (living organisms), abiotic (non-living elements), and specific habitats, each of which directly influences the others. A life cycle assessment (LCA) focuses on ecosystem quality as one area of protection, encompassing various impact categories. Furthermore, LCA tries to evaluate ecosystem services, which can be classified into provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services. Understanding these services and their trade-offs is vital for sustainable decision-making, with multiple approaches available for assessing their impact. Keywords: Ecosystem Services; Life Cycle Assessment; Sustainability; Impact Categories; Biodiversity Conservation; Environmental Assessment (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:elg:eechap:22215_51 Ordering information: This item can be ordered from Access Statistics for this chapter More chapters in Chapters from Edward Elgar Publishing |
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