Overview
The ECOSERVICES Group at ASU studies the causes and consequences of change in ecosystem services – the benefits that people derive from the biophysical environment. We analyse biodiversity change in terms of its impacts on the things that people care about. Following the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005) these are characterised as provisioning services (foods, fuels, fibers, genetic materials, chemical compounds and the like), cultural services (aesthetic, spiritual, moral, recreational, educational, scientific uses) and regulating services (the role of ecosystems in regulating flows of provisioning and cultural services including, for example, water quality regulation, soil erosion reduction, storm damage protection and so on).
The group additionally offers research training in biodiversity and ecosystem services both within ASU and more generally. It supports the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Training Network (BESTNet), a Research Coordination Network funded by the National Science Foundation, and various other training initiatives.
The Group lies within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Our research activities are supported by the Global Institute of Sustainability, and our teaching activities contribute to programs in the School of Life Sciences, the School of Sustainability, the Carey School of Business, Department of Economics, and the School of Human Evolution and Social Change.
Faculty in the ecoSERVICES GROUP are members of the Human Dimensions Faculty of the School of Life Sciences and the School of Sustainability.