Ecosystem services:

from conceptual overview to legal reception of environmental services

Abstract

This scientific article analyzes ecosystem services through the lens of their concept(s) and possible classifications, while also offering theoretical reflections on the reception of the doctrinal concept of ecosystem and environmental services within Brazilian environmental legislation. The socio-economic context of the proposed study acknowledges the undeniable existence of environmental impacts that play a critical role in biodiversity conservation and the provision of essential ecosystem services. Consequently, the research problem focuses on the legal reception of the concept of ecosystem and environmental services in doctrinal construction and, particularly, on the socio-economic valuation of essential ecological functions and processes. The article is divided into three sections. The first section provides a conceptual overview of ecosystem services in ecological literature, synthesizing their transformation over time. The second section presents the main theoretically constructed classifications, such as those from the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA, 2005). The final section offers reflections on the relationship between ecosystem services and their environmental services from a legal perspective. The methodological approach is hypothetical deductive, employing bibliographic and documentary research techniques, including legislative sources. The hypothesis of the work is supported by understanding that the incorporation of doctrinal concepts of ecosystem and environmental services into Brazilian environmental legislation plays a significant role in valuing their respective essential functions and ecological processes.