ABSTRACT
Ecosystems play an essential role providing goods and services to humans. Directly or indirectly, their benefits to humans include provisioning (e.g., food, water, fuel, fiber, and genetic resources), supporting (e.g., ecosystems primary production, soil formation, oxygen production), cultural developments (e.g., recreation, cognitive development, reflection, and spiritual enrichment), and regulating services (e.g., air maintenance, water purification, regulation of human diseases, erosion control, and climate regulation) (MA 2005). Studying, quantification, and mapping of ecosystem services have gained increasing interest in the scientific community in recent years.
