Worldwide the process of urbanization is putting increased pressure on the ecosystems of cities. Serving as vital ecosystem service providers that benefit the ecological functioning and human well-being in cities, urban ecosystem are however highly dependent on socio-spatial developments taking place in these urban areas. The case is no different with Tallinn. Based on document analysis and activist research this article gives an interdisciplinary overview of the central ecosystem services offered by the capital of Estonia and discusses major achievements and challenges of the field of ecosystem service provision. As a result it shows that on one hand, the city’s ecological conditions are generally favorable to diverse biota and miscellaneous habitats and that numerous steps have been taken by Tallinn city, NGOs and other entities to improve ecosystem services. On the other hand, ecosystem service provision is challenged by the intense urbanization of Tallinn urban area over the last decades causing problems for the socio- spatial development – such as urban sprawl, densification, intense population growth, changed demographics and an inhibited environmental awareness (due to the estrangement from nature) – which affect not only the quantity but also the quality of Tallinn’s ecosystem services.