Overview of the topic

Conserving ecosystems contributes to the protection of habitats and thereby biodiversity. Ecosystems provide food, breathable air and clean water. Disrupting the balance between the organism in an ecosystem and their interaction with the environment can result in significant and irreversible damages. Ecosystems also represent an exceptional source of outdoor recreation opportunities. The functions performed by ecosystems that increase our well-being are called ecosystem services. A new initiative describes how different EU policies can help to increase the services and benefits provided by ecosystems and calls for the inclusion of the ecosystem services approach into European policy measures affecting the use or state of natural resources.