Final answer:
Urban areas depend on healthy ecosystems to provide essential services such as clean water, food, climate regulation, and materials for medications, all crucial for socio-economic stability and ecological sustainability.
Step-by-step explanation:
Urban areas require robust, sustainable ecosystems in order to supply their inhabitants with basic needs, such as food, clean water, and other resources. Ecosystem services are essential, as they include the purification of air and water, generation of oxygen, regulation of climate, decomposition of waste materials, and maintaining the fertility of soils necessary for agriculture. Plants and animals within these ecosystems contribute to human health and well-being by providing materials for food and medications. Additionally, these natural systems support the socio-economic stability and development of cities by ensuring the availability of resources necessary for human survival and ecological sustainability.