Module 5: Ecosystems balance Earth systems

The message
We need diverse ecosystems to balance major Earth systems and keep the planet healthy.

The experience
Signs announce the amazing feats of ecosystems: “See the Rainforest, the Lovely Lungs of the Planet!” “Mind-Boggling Bog—The Super Sponge!” “The World-famous Wetland Disappearing Act!” Curtains cloak a ring of small kiosks. Visitors provide the power to open the curtains and activate a small mechanical theater or arcade-style game that demonstrates the essential function of each featured ecosystem.

Nearby text and image panels highlight case studies of these ecosystems in action in specific locations around the world and the serious problems created by their loss.

The story
When most people picture biodiversity, they think of the many forms of animal or plant life. In fact, biodiversity is important at the ecosystem level as well. Destroying ecosystems doesn’t just leave species without a habitat, it radically upsets natural buffers that sustain human life. For example, forests play an essential role in the exchange of greenhouse gasses and help mitigate the effects of climate change. Swamps, bogs, and other ecosystems with dense bryophyte growth hold enormous amounts of water, preventing flooding in regions with heavy rainfall. Similarly, highland forests in the Philippines protect watersheds and prevent flash floods. Wetlands act as natural purification systems, removing toxins from freshwater sources.

Several regional and international projects, including the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and ecological economics pioneer Robert Costanza, have quantified the benefits intact ecosystems deliver to humans. They compare these invisible services to the cost it takes man-made facilities to produce the same work (such as water purification) and the staggering cost of restoring these natural communities once they are lost.