Application of an ecosystem services inventory approach to the Goulburn Broken Catchment

Abstract

Rivers, streams and wetlands provide people with a wide range of benefits often referred to as “Ecosystem Services” (Cork et al. this volume). These services include maintenance of atmosphere and climates suitable for human life; filtration, purification and delivery of water; maintenance of soil fertility and structure; pollination of crops and other vegetation; control of the vast majority of potential pests, diseases and weeds; provision of genetic resources; production of goods like food and fibre; and provision of cultural, spiritual and intellectual values. The difficulty faced by natural resource managers is how do we prioritise and manage for the full range of benefits provided by ecosystems. This paper presents one method for identifying the full range of goods/products provided by ecosystems in a case study catchment (the Goulburn Broken in Northern Victoria), and a means of identifying, classifying and prioritising the role of ecosystem services in both transforming natural assets into those goods/products, or breaking down the by-products of those transformations.