Ecosystem services are the product of millions of years of evolution, prevalent in nature but inconspicuous by most human beings going about their daily lives . Noticed or not, human society utterly depends on these complex yet intriguing cycles for their very existence . A case in point is the relationship between pollinators and the plants they pollinate. If pollinators of economically important plants ceased to exist, society would face serious social and economic implications . For decades, human beings made use of these services without causing global disruption, however, we are suddenly beginning to realise that we have overexploited earth’s natural resources through many irresponsible actions along the years. “Thus, for instance, deforestation has revealed the critical role of forests in the hydrological cycle – in particular, in mitigating flood, drought, and the forces of wind and rain that cause erosion” . In light of this, we can undoubtedly state that such ecosystem services are beneficial in maintaining the pristine natural environment. I will be providing an insight of how the ecosystem services concept was useful to maintain the natural environment of a small island state such as Malta.
2. Ecosystem Services in Malta
Taking into consideration that Malta has a very small land mass together with one of the highest population densities in the world, with about 1,265 inhabitants per square kilometre, protecting Malta’s biodiversity remains one of the biggest challenges being faced today. Malta faces the difficult task of meeting the demands of a growing population for land, water, food and energy, whilst at the same time halting the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services. This challenge is exacerbated by other environmental concerns, which are inherent to our isolated and insular ecosystems. It is for this reason that the ‘Working Hand-in-Hand with Nature’ concept is vital in protecting our natural heritage. It is also for this rationale that ecosystem services are the best recourse towards sustainable development, in which the needs of present generations are met without hindering future generations to meet their own needs .
Ecosystem services can be split into 4 categories; provisioning services, regulating services, supporting services, and cultural services. A provisioning service is any type of benefit to people which can be obtained from the natural environment. Living on an Island State with a larger marine territory than landmass, it is a foregone conclusion that Maltese society takes advantage of such a characteristic. The combination of caves, sheer cliffs, wrecks, shelves and sandy and rocky sea beds, make the coast an ideal habitat for a large variety of fish species which can be consumed as a source of food. Common species include groupers, amberjack, various bream, octopi, squid, flying fish, gurnard, stingrays, meagre, red mullet, parrot fish and the occasional moray eel. Realising this potential, Malta’s coastal and marine environment is often placed under considerable pressure from certain activities such as unsustainable fishing methods (the indiscriminate use of trammel nets within bays and the use of explosives). If such scenarios are prolonged, this will ultimately lead to coastal degradation and loss of species. In order for these natural environments to be safeguarded in the best manner possible so as to continue and make use of the services they provide, Malta has enacted the necessary legislative framework and transposed EU Directives, including the Habitats Directive, Water Framework Directive and Marine Strategy Framework Directive . Malta has also introduced designated Marine Protected Areas. We can now see the benefits of such actions coming to fruition. Malta has been awarded Blue Flag status for a number of beaches around its coastline. There are several criteria for which such status is given including, high standards for water quality, safety, environmental education and information, the provision of services and general environmental management .
Ecosystems deliver many of the basic services that make life possible for people. Also known as regulating services, these are crucial in the agricultural sector. Although Malta’s agriculture sector is very small and accounts for about 2.8% of GDP, it is still considered a very important sector for food production. Most of the crops and foodstuffs produced are consumed domestically. Agricultural ecosystems depend on certain regulating services, including pollination, biological pest control, maintenance of soil structure and fertility, nutrient cycling and hydrological services. Maltese farmers are realising the potential benefits emanating from these tradeoffs and synergies which in turn also help sustain the surrounding natural environment .
Biological pest control:
Pesticides have many negative implications on the environment. In addition to contaminating soil, water and other vegetation, pesticides can be toxic to a number of other organisms including birds, fish, insects, mammals and non-target plants. Biological pest control as a regulating service is a service of vital importance since it is regularly supported by natural ecosystems . “Non-crop habitats provide the habitat and diverse food resources required for arthropod predators and parasitoids, insectivorous birds and bats, and microbial pathogens that act as natural enemies to agricultural pests and provide biological control services in agroecosystems” . Such biological control services reduce populations of pests. This will result in the reduction for the need of pesticides, consequently reducing the risk of damaging the natural environment and the organisms living within .
Pollination:
Another important ecosystem service provided by natural habitats in the agricultural sector in Malta is pollination. The Maltese Islands are blessed with the ability to grow watermelon, peaches, plums, bambinella and marrows, among other crops. This is one of the main elements which make the Maltese cuisine such a big part of the Maltese culture because many ingredients are grown locally. For this reason, it is very important for the Maltese to preserve the pollination process because many crops which are grown locally would be seriously harmed if bees disappeared . Pollinators are being threatened by rapid urbanisation and unplanned growth. The Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology’s Institute of Applied Sciences carried out some research to establish the economic value of pollinating insects in Malta based on the dependence of different crops on insect pollination; it was concluded that pollinators contribute to approximately 15% of the total value of Malta’s agricultural produce . It is for this concrete reason that Malta’s natural environment needs to be safeguarded against anthropogenic activities. Improved understanding of the threats to bees and pollinators and the important contribution they make to our well-being and the economy, is a must. We must therefore promote this process and develop further research on bees and pollinators so that we can create new policies which are based on fact, in order to be able to protect the bees and further sustain their ecosystem .
Cultural services relate to the non-material world emerging from the natural environment. These services are not usually easily quantifiable in monetary terms and include activities such as recreational, aesthetic, cognitive and spiritual ones. These services are very important for Malta. For example, tourism is the most important sector of the country’s economy, contributing to about 26.7% of the nation’s GDP. Ecotourism or sustainable tourism, which is increasing in popularity year after year, aims to conserve the environment and improve the well-being of the local people. Many tourists are travelling to Malta to enjoy the beautiful natural rugged coastline and countryside of the Maltese Islands, performing a number of activities including rock climbing, abseiling, sea level traversing, zip lining, trekking, off-road biking, trail running, kayaking, and snorkelling. In order for this type of tourism to continue flourishing and attract more visitors every year, it is imperative that our natural environment is kept as pristine as possible. It is corroborated over and over again that cultural services have played an important role in motivating public support for the protection of ecosystems. It is not unusual for ‘Cleanups’ in Malta to take place. Activist groups such as Malta Clean Up and JCI Malta often organise clean up days around the island with the sole purpose to make Malta greener and pristine. The latter organisations are teaming up with a host of other NGOs, like Friends of the Earth Malta, Birdlife, fish4tomorrow, and Sharklab Malta to make such activities bigger and better. It is evidently clear by this example how the natural environment is benefitting from the concept of ecosystem services.
The last category of ecosystem services is that of supporting services. These are the most fundamental services that the natural world provides. The consistency of the natural processes is the key for sustaining ecosystems. Some of the natural processes are: photosynthesis, nutrient cycling, the creation of soils and the water cycle. Furthermore, these processes allow the Earth to sustain basic life forms and without supporting services; provisional, regulating and cultural services would not exist. Regrettably, we often take for granted the multitude of benefits we derive from nature and put in jeopardy the life-supporting services that biodiversity provides for our general well-being. Anthropogenic pressures such as pollution, climate change and overexploitation, all lead to the degradation and loss of biodiversity and the inefficient use of natural resources. Under the Habitats Directive and Birds Directive, each Member State of the European Union is obliged to set up a Natura 2000 network which is made up of sites designated as Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) and / or Special Protection Areas (SPAs) . To date, Malta has 28 Sites scattered throughout the Island, of Community Importance (Special Areas of Conservation) declared under the EC Habitats Directive and 13 Special Protection Areas declared under the EC Birds Directive. All the natural processes which support all the other ecosystem service categories are undoubtedly being conserved in the best way possible in these 28 sites.
3. Conclusion
After analysing the importance of ecosystem services, it is evident that they not only benefit the people, but life on earth in general. It brings out the beauty in diversity as it links people to the environment they are living in. For this reason, it is important for a small country like Malta, with very limited resources, to enhance and promote such a concept in order to further improve and sustain the demands of a growing population. Although such services have started, as we have seen throughout this study, further work needs to be done in order to promote and achieve goals which will improve the standard of living of the Maltese people and their environment.