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CICES classification version 4.3

CICES for ecosystem service mapping and assessment Note: this section is not complete and for illustrative purposes only. Key components could change by region or ecosystem.
CICES for ecosystem accounting Note this section is open in that many class types can potentially be recognised and nested in the higher level classes, depending on the ecosystems being considered.
Section Division Group Class Class type Examples
This column lists the three main categories of ecosystem services This column divides section categories into main types of output or process. The group level splits division categories by biological, physical or cultural type or process. The group level splits division categories by biological, physical or cultural type or process. Class types break the class categories into further individual entities and suggest ways of measuring the associated ecosystem service output.
Provisioning Nutrition Biomass Cultivated crops Crops by amount, type Cereals (e.g. wheat, rye, barely), vegetables, fruits etc.
Reared animals and their outputs Animals, products by amount, type Meat, dairy products (milk, cheese, yoghurt), honey etc.
Wild plants, algae and their outputs Plants, algae by amount, type Wild berries, fruits, mushrooms, water cress, Salicornia (saltwort or samphire); seaweed (e.g. Palmaria palmata = dulse, dillisk) for food
Wild animals and their outputs Animals by amount, type Game, freshwater fish (trout, eel etc.),
marine fish (plaice, sea bass etc.) and
shellfish (i.e. crustaceans, molluscs), as
well as equinoderms or honey
harvested from wild populations;
Includes commercial and subsistence
fishing and hunting for food
Plants and algae from in-situ aquaculture Plants, algae by amount, type In-situ seaweed farming
Animals from in-situ aquaculture Animals by amount, type In-situ farming of freshwater (e.g.
trout) and marine fish (e.g. salmon,
tuna) also in floating cages; shellfish
aquaculture (e.g. oysters or
crustaceans) in e.g. poles
Water Surface water for drinking By amount, type Collected precipitation, abstracted surface water from rivers, lakes and other open water bodies for drinking
Ground water for drinking Freshwater abstracted from (non-fossil) groundwater or via ground water desalination for drinking
Materials Biomass Fibres and other materials from plants, algae and animals for direct use or processing Material by amount, type, use, media (land, soil, freshwater, marine) Fibres, wood, timber, flowers, skin, bones, sponges and other products, which are not further processed; material for production e.g. industrial products such as cellulose for paper, cotton for clothes, packaging material; chemicals extracted or synthesised from algae, plants and animals such as turpentine, rubber, flax, oil, wax, resin, soap (from bones), natural remedies and medicines (e.g. chondritin from sharks), dyes and colours, ambergris (from sperm whales used in perfumes); Includes consumptive ornamental uses
Materials from plants, algae and animals for agricultural use Plant, algae and animal material (e.g. grass) for fodder and fertilizer in agriculture and aquaculture;
Genetic materials from all biota Genetic material (DNA) from wild plants, algae and animals for biochemical industrial and pharmaceutical processes e.g. medicines, fermentation, detoxification; bio-prospecting activities e.g. wild species used in breeding programmes etc.
Water Surface water for non-drinking purposes By amount, type and use Collected precipitation, abstracted surface water from rivers, lakes and other open water bodies for domestic use (washing, cleaning and other non-drinking use), irrigation, livestock consumption, industrial use (consumption and cooling) etc.
Ground water for non-drinking purposes Freshwater abstracted from (non-fossil) groundwater layers or via ground water desalination for domestic use (washing, cleaning and other non-drinking use), irrigation, livestock consumption, industrial use (consumption and cooling) etc.
Energy Biomass-based energy sources Plant-based resources By amount, type, source Wood fuel, straw, energy plants, crops and algae for burning and energy
production
Mechanical energy Animal-based resources By amount, type, source Physical labour provided by animals (horses, elephants etc.)
Regulation & Maintenance Mediation of waste, toxics and other nuisances Mediation by biota Bio-remediation by micro-organisms, algae, plants, and animals By amount, type, use, media (land, soil, freshwater, marine) Bio-chemical detoxification / decomposition / mineralisation in land / soil, freshwater and marine systems including sediments; decomposition / detoxification of waste and toxic materials e.g. waste water cleaning, degrading oil spills by marine bacteria, (phyto)degradation, (rhizo)degradation etc.
Bio-chemical detoxification / decomposition / mineralisation in land / soil, freshwater and marine systems including sediments; decomposition / detoxification of waste and toxic materials e.g. waste water cleaning, degrading oil spills by marine bacteria, (phyto)degradation, (rhizo)degradation etc. By amount, type, use, media (land, soil, freshwater, marine) Biological filtration / sequestration / storage / accumulation of pollutants in land / soil, freshwater and marine biota, adsorption and binding of heavy metals and organic compounds in biota
Mediation by ecosystems

Filtration/
sequestration/
storage/accumulation by ecosystems

 By amount, type, use, media (land, soil, freshwater, marine) Bio-physicochemical filtration / sequestration / storage / accumulation of pollutants in land / soil, freshwater and marine ecosystems, including sediments; adsorption and binding of heavy metals and organic compounds in ecosystems (combination of biotic and abiotic factors)
Dilution by atmosphere, freshwater and marine ecosystems Bio-physico-chemical dilution of gases, fluids and solid waste, wastewater in atmosphere, lakes, rivers, sea and sediments
Mediation of smell/noise/visual impacts Visual screening of transport corridors e.g. by trees; Green infrastructure to reduce noise and smells
Mediation of flows Mass flows Mass stabilisation and control of erosion rates By reduction in risk, area protected Erosion / landslide / gravity flow protection; vegetation cover protecting/stabilising terrestrial, coastal and marine ecosystems, coastal wetlands, dunes; vegetation on slopes also preventing avalanches (snow, rock), erosion protection of coasts and sediments by mangroves, sea grass, macroalgae, etc.
Buffering and attenuation of mass flows Transport and storage of sediment by
rivers, lakes, sea
Liquid flows Hydrological cycle and water flow maintenance By depth/volumes Capacity of maintaining baseline flows for water supply and discharge; e.g. fostering groundwater; recharge by appropriate land coverage that captures effective rainfall; includes drought and water scarcity aspects.
Flood protection By reduction in risk, area protected Flood protection by appropriate land coverage; coastal flood prevention by mangroves, sea grass, macroalgae, etc. (supplementary to coastal protection by wetlands, dunes)
Gaseous / air flows Storm protection By reduction in risk, area protected Natural or planted vegetation that serves as shelter belts
Ventilation and transpiration By change in temperature/humidity Natural or planted vegetation that enables air ventilation
Maintenance of physical, chemical, biological conditions Lifecycle maintenance, habitat and gene pool protection Pollination and seed dispersal By amount and source Pollination by bees and other insects; seed dispersal by insects, birds and other animals
Maintaining nursery populations and habitats By amount and source Habitats for plant and animal nursery and reproduction e.g. seagrasses, microstructures of rivers etc.
Pest and disease control Pest control By reduction in incidence, risk, area protected Pest and disease control including invasive alien species
Disease control In cultivated and natural ecosystems and human populations
Soil formation and composition Weathering processes By amount/concentration and source Maintenance of bio-geochemical conditions of soils including fertility, nutrient storage, or soil structure; includes biological, chemical, physical weathering and pedogenesis
Decomposition and fixing processes Maintenance of bio-geochemical conditions of soils by decomposition / mineralisation of dead organic material, nitrification, denitrification etc.), N-fixing and other bio-geochemical processes;
Water conditions Chemical condition of freshwaters By amount/concentration and source Maintenance / buffering of chemical composition of freshwater column and sediment to ensure favourable living conditions for biota e.g. by denitrification, re-mobilisation/re-mineralisation of phosphorous, etc.
Chemical condition of salt waters Maintenance / buffering of chemical composition of seawater column and sediment to ensure favourable living conditions for biota e.g. by denitrification, re-mobilisation/re-mineralisation of phosphorous, etc.
Atmospheric composition and climate regulation Global climate regulation by reduction of greenhouse gas concentrations By amount, concentration or climatic parameter Global climate regulation by greenhouse gas/carbon sequestration by terrestrial ecosystems, water columns and sediments and their biota; transport of carbon into oceans (DOCs) etc.
Micro and regional climate regulation Modifying temperature, humidity, wind fields; maintenance of rural and urban climate and air quality and regional precipitation / temperature patterns
Cultural Physical and intellectual interactions with biota, ecosystems, and land- /seascapes [environmental settings] Physical and experiential interactions Experiential use of plants, animals and land-/seascapes in different environmental settings By visits/use data, plants, animals, ecosystem type In-situ whale and bird watching,
snorkelling, diving etc.
Physical use of land-/seascapes in different environmental settings Walking, hiking, climbing, boating, leisure fishing (angling) and leisure hunting
Intellectual and representational interactions Scientific By use/citation, plants, animals, ecosystem type Subject matter for research both on location and via other media
Educational Subject matter of education both on location and via other media
Heritage, cultural Historic records, cultural heritage e.g. preserved in water bodies and soils
Entertainment Ex-situ viewing/experience of natural world through different media
Aesthetic Sense of place, artistic representations of nature
Spiritual, symbolic and other interactions with biota, ecosystems, and land- /seascapes [environmental settings] Spiritual and/or emblematic Symbolic By use, plants, animals, ecosystem type Emblematic plants and animals e.g. national symbols such as American eagle, British rose, Welsh daffodil
Sacred and/or religious Spiritual, ritual identity e.g. 'dream paths' of native Australians, holy places; sacred plants and animals and their parts
Other cultural outputs Existence By plants, animals, feature/ecosystem type or component Enjoyment provided by wild species, wilderness, ecosystems, land- /seascapes
Bequest Willingness to preserve plants, animals, ecosystems, land-/seascapes for the experience and use of future generations; moral/ethical perspective or belief