Ecosystem services
Introduction
Ecosystem services" or environmental services are those resources or processes that come from ecosystems which provide a benefit to society. They include processes such as providing nutritious food and clean water; regulating diseases and climate; supporting crop pollination and soil formation; and offering recreational, cultural and spiritual benefits. They are also defined as the driving force of the environment. Wetlands are: Land of shallow surface or groundwater (depending on the rae).[1].
It is noted that wetland ecosystems are swamps and marshes, lakes and rivers, wet grasslands and peat bogs, oases, estuaries, deltas and tidal flats, marine areas close to the coast, mangroves and coral reefs, as well as artificial sites such as fish ponds, rice fields, reservoirs and salt flats (according to RAMSAR).[2].
Wetlands in Chile
Chile will be considered a favored country with regard to bodies of water, since it has a large number and variety of wetlands, except for coral reefs or mangroves. Chile is a country that contains the vast majority of types of wetlands in the world. This is evidenced and enhanced by the geography that Chile enjoys. As a result of the extensive coastal limit, estimating all the fragmented areas, islands, fjords and channels, it can be stated that the perimeter of the coastal periphery It consists of more than 80,000 km, making up the prolonged wetland of Chile. Added to the maritime geography that Chile has, there is the existence of the Andes, which provides great humidity. The Andes has conditions that help the accumulation of water at altitude, presenting itself in different forms, whether in glaciers, wetlands, snow, lagoons, plains, or salt flats. In fact, the greatest accumulation of bodies of fresh water in the form of glaciers or ice is not found in Antarctica, but rather, in Patagonia of Chile, the regions of Los Lagos and Aysén are where the sources of fresh water are most abundant (product of their geological history), such as Llanquihue, Todos los Santos, Puyehue, Lago, etc.
Recognizing the essential value of wetlands, the Chilean Ministry of the Environment has carried out the formation of a National Wetland Inventory,[3] with the purpose of making this information available, so that the best decisions can be made regarding the conservation and sustainable use of these water resources. Considering the definition of RAMSAR[4] it can be assessed that Chile has more than 40 thousand wetlands, which according to evaluations cover an area of 5,593,632.91 hectares.[5] Total of which Chile currently has 16 sites designated as wetlands of International Importance (RAMSAR sites), with an area of 363,927 hectares.