Ecosystem functions and services of nature
Natural habitats not only provide valuable habitats for (rare) animal and plant species, but also provide numerous ecosystem services for humans. For example, a forest is an important carbon sink, serves as erosion control, regulates the climate of an entire region, as well as the hydrological situation. In this working, ecosystem functions and services provided by nature were measured using an experimental approach. For this purpose, the following proxies were selected and measured: pollinator activity, seed dispersal, and predation rates and types (these selected proxies are of highest relevance for successful sustainable agricultural use). These experiments were implemented based on the protocol of Meyer et al. (2015). Proxies were measured in the forest as well as in adjacent agricultural areas, settlements and eucalyptus plantation. This working is conducted by Hannamariam Mekonnen (Bahir Dar University), Nomi Sihler, Tobias Seifert, Maximilian Schröcker, Markus Rainer and Jonathan Schwarz (PLUS) and supervised by Prof. Dr. Jan Christian Habel (PLUS).
