UNVEILING THE ECOSYSTEM BENEFITS OF ECO FOREST PARKS: A CONCEPTUAL VIEW

Abstract

Eco forest parks are essential for sustaining biodiversity, mitigating climate impacts, and promoting environmental awareness. However, the ecosystem benefits they offer are often undervalued or fragmented in current conservation strategies. This paper addresses the gap by conceptualizing a framework to systematically understand the ecosystem benefits of eco forest parks. The objective is to identify and classify these benefits under four main ecosystem service categories—provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting—while aligning them with conservation and sustainable development goals. This conceptual research employs qualitative content analysis of secondary literature from multidisciplinary sources. The findings highlight that eco forest parks provide more than ecological value; they contribute significantly to socio-economic development, education, and public health. However, the lack of integrated planning and recognition limits their potential. It is recommended that ecosystem benefits be incorporated into national green policies and community-based conservation programs to strengthen ecological resilience and public engagement