Table 1.

Typologies of ecosystem services potential.

Role of the ecosystem	Fate of matter/energy/information	Description	Examples
	Net delivery of biomass or energy eventually leaving the ecosystem	Ecosystems act as sources of matter and energy in the form of biomass. Reference with other classification systems: provisioning services	Generation of mass and biomass
	Delivery of biomass and energy generated within the ecosystem	Ecosystems act as sources of matter and energy by providing suitable habitats. Reference with other classification systems: regulating services (CICES), supporting services (MA) and habitat services (TEEB)	Habitat maintenance, pollination, pest control and disease control
	Matter or energy absorbed by the ecosystem	Ecosystems act as sinks to store, immobilise or absorb matter. Reference with other classification systems: regulating services (CICES and TEEB) and supporting services (MA)	Absorbing pollutants, carbon, nutrients, heat assimilation
	Matter or energy flowing through the ecosystem	Ecosystems act as transformers, changing the magnitude of flows of matter or energy. Reference with other classification systems: regulating services	Water retention, flood control
	Information delivered by the ecosystem	Ecosystems deliver information. The information generated does not modify the original state of the ecosystem. Reference with other classification systems: cultural services	Scenic view, outdoor recreation activities, scientific investigation

Legend: squares represent an ecosystem unit and arrows represent the type of matter/energy/information delivered.

CICES, Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services; MA, Millennium Ecosystem Assessment; TEEB, The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity.