Question

According to Robert Constanza, about 50% of the total cost for ecosystem services is for

• A. recreation
• B. climate regulation
• C. nutrient cycling
• D. soil formation

Answer 1

The correct option is D soil formation

Ecosystem services refers to the products of ecosystem that have been linked directly to the benefit of all organisms on Earth including human beings. Such services include purifying the air, providing water and food by maintaining nutrient cycle, pollination of crops, and other services such as soil formation, regulation of droughts, floods, even aesthetic beauty and recreation.
Robert Costanza proposed an idea to quantify the value of ecosystem services which he estimated to be US $33 trillion per year. This was done to make people realize the value of services humans are availing which are available to them free of cost.
The amount is nearly twice the value of the global gross national product (GNP). Soil formation itself accounts for about 50% of the total estimated cost. The contributions of services such as recreation and nutrient cycling, are less than 10% each while climate regulation and habitat for wildlife accounts for about 6% each.