Sering sekali, terdapat kesalahan dalam mengartikan ecosystem service. Berikut beberapa definisi ecosystem service (jasa ekosistem) yang diacu dari beberapa jurnal dan buku yang membahas tentang ecosystem service
- ecosystem services are; an understanding of the key characteristics or behaviors of these ecosystems and their services; and an understanding of the decision context in which the ecosystem services concept will be used (METHODS Defining and classifying ecosystem services for decision making Brendan Fishera, R. Kerry Turnera, Paul Morling. j.ecolecon.2008.09.014)
- the conditions and processes through which natural ecosystems, and the species that make them up, sustain and fulfill human life (Daily, G.C., 1997. Introduction: what are ecosystem services. In: Daily, G.C. (Ed.), Nature's Services. Island Press, Washington DC, pp. 1–10.)
- the benefits human populations derive, directly or indirectly, from ecosystem functions (Costanza, R., dArge, R., et al., 1997. The value of the world's ecosystem services and natural capital. Nature 387 (6630), 253–260.
- the benefits people obtain from ecosystems (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. 2005. Washington, DC, Island Press).
