[Discussion on freshwater ecosystem service and its evaluation index system]

The importance of freshwater ecosystem and the connotation of ecosystem service were expounded in this paper, and the insufficiency in studies on freshwater ecosystem service was pointed out. Freshwater ecosystem service cannot be fulfilled without ecosystem health, yet there is a scarcity of synthetic studies integrating freshwater ecosystem service with ecosystem health, while these studies are necessary and important. Water resources should include water capacity, water quality, water energy, and aquatic organism. Based on the new meaning of water resources, the freshwater ecosystem service and its evaluation index system were discussed, and the evaluating methods were introduced briefly. The consideration and technical course of developing studies on freshwater ecosystem service in China were also discussed.