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The economic opportunity of rewilding

4 Paying for the benefits of wilder nature

4.1 Ecosystem services and the ‘user pays’ principle



Ecosystem services are nature’s contributions to people.

Click on each icon below to discover how they are usually arranged into four categories:

Some of these services are provided locally, such as recreation or clean water, while others are global in their effect, such as carbon sequestration that helps to control the climate. Some are regularly paid for, such as recreation opportunities.

Others are now becoming paid for more systematically, such as carbon uptake and storage, while others are rarely paid for directly, such as nature’s role in moderating the effect of extreme events.

As you have learned already, rewilding aims to boost natural processes and restore ecosystem functioning, which means that rewilding also maintains or increases the ecosystem services provided to people.

A circular infographic illustrating the four categories of ecosystem services: Supporting, Provisioning, Regulating, and Cultural. Each section highlights specific benefits: Supporting services: Nutrient cycling, photosynthesis, soil formation, and moderation of extreme events. Provisioning services: Food, raw materials, medicinal resources, and fresh water. Regulating services: Air quality regulation, climate regulation, water regulation, erosion regulation, water purification, and pest and disease control. Cultural services: Aesthetic values, spiritual and religious values, recreation, and physical activity. Icons and colors visually represent each category, emphasizing the interconnectedness of nature and its benefits to humans.

A visual representation of 19 ecosystem services, divided into 4 categories – Cultural, Provisioning, Regulating and Supporting.