Ecosystem services in grasslands

SALA, O.E.; PARUELO, J. M.

Nature?s services: Societal dependence on natural ecosystems.

Island press

Lugar: Washington; Año: 1997; p. 237 - 252

This chapter we will focus on those services that currently have no market price and for which society has difficulty in assessing value. We will discuss the role of natural grasslands in maintaining the c omposition of the atmosphere and the genetic library, as well as ameliorating the weather and conserving the soil. Our approach will be to compare natural grasslands under moderate grazing with alternative land uses, which include drastic changes such as transformation into croplands and more subtle changes that grasslands undergo when grazed with different intensities. We will evaluate the ecological effect and the economic value of these changes in land-use practices.