ABSTRACT
This chapter identifies the ecosystem services delivered by water, and the many different uses to which water is put, in the context of the emerging debate around water security. Whilst provision of basic human needs is a clear imperative in terms of domestic water security, so too is food, and water for food production. Water provides ecosystem services in all categories. Water is a cross-cutting issue that is interconnected with many different ecosystems services. A broader analysis of the ecosystem services provided by water takes us beyond water supply for basic human needs. Many ecosystem services involving water are not directly 'water services' in anthropocentric terms, but rather services provided to the environment, on which human and other life nonetheless depends. Water plays a unique role in the provision of many ecosystem services, and is also vital from the perspective of different forms of security.
