Services from forest ecosystems

• Provisioning services from forest ecosystems: • timber and fuelwood from trees• medicinal plants and animals• wild foods, and bushmeat from wildlife species

• the critical sources of maintaining food, medicine and livelihoods for many African people, particularly forest dwellers under poverty.

• Many assessments the value of these services have been conducted, but rarely integrated into decision-making

• Economic values are likely to be low, but importance to vulnerable groups could still be high

Services from wetlands, lakes and rivers

• support floodplain agriculture, freshwater and offshore fisheries, water extraction for manufacturing and domestic water supply.

• They also improve water quality through wastewater treatment, provide habitats for invertebrates, fisheries, mammals and other biodiversity,

• bring socio-economic benefits to surrounding communities by providing both consumptive values, such as clean drinking water, food and fuel, and non-consumptive values, such as aesthetics and recreational space

• Despite their importance, there is relatively little information available on the provision of ecosystem services from these ecosystems