The Ecosystem Services Of The Sand Motor

Abstract

A unique natural landscape. A beach to strengthen the dunes. A great place to walk the dog. The Sand Motor is all of those and more (Figure 1). It provides different benefits to people, and people perceive those benefits differently as well. Collectively, we refer to the contributions that the environment provides to people as “ecosystem services”. Ecosystem services are the link between nature and society, between ecosystems and our wellbeing. For instance, dune ecosystems are beautiful to hike in, but also protect millions of people against rising sea levels, while at the same time filtering and storing large amounts of drinking water. A change in the condition of dunes would therefore result in considerable changes to human wellbeing.