Giving Thanks

This year, we'd like to give thanks for our environment and the magnificent job it does to support and enhance our lives. There is a trend in recent years to take into account the value of nature when planning for the future. (See "The value of the world's ecosystem services and natural capital," by Robert Costanza, et al.) We are finally coming to the realization that trying to duplicate nature with technology is far more expensive than valuing what we already have, and taking steps to protect it. Some of the benefits we can think about are as follows:

Forests not only provide us with timber, but stabilize our landscapes and provide habitat for animals. They aid in cleaning our air by reducing carbon, thereby moderating global warming. Forests help to maintain watersheds and allow the slow percolation of rainwater into aquifers we use for drinking and irrigation. Also, many medicines have been isolated from plant compounds.

Wetlands filter and conserve water, provide flood control, shelter food for fish and wildlife, and irrigation for crops. They also help to maintain cycles essential for life on earth. Ecosystem processes help control disease by providing natural pest control by attracting birds, bats and fish to feed on insects. Wetlands can be a deterrent from wave destruction from hurricanes.

Last, but not least, our natural areas provide an aesthetic beauty that feeds our souls, and recreational areas for renewing peace of mind and health of body.

For more information about the valuation of nature, see Ecosystem Services: A Primer, and Nature's Services. Today's photo is of the Yough in fall and is courtesy of the Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau. If you never been to this part of the world, it is well worth the time and energy to get there. If it's been a while since you last fed your soul from the aesthetic beauty that is the Laurel Highlands, perhaps Thanksgiving weekend is an appropriate time to go back for seconds.

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