Social-ecological systems influence ecosystem service perception: a Programme on Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS) analysis

Abstract

Facing the challenges of environmental and social changes, sustainable management of ecosystem services is a worldwide priority. The Programme on Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS) approach provides a unique opportunity for promoting transdisciplinary place-based comparative research for social-ecological systems (SES) management. As part of the PECS-sponsored WaterSES project, we used four place-based SES research sites to analyze patterns in perceptions of ecosystem services. Our data come from about 1,500 face-to-face surveys conducted in southern Spain, the south-central Great Plains of Oklahoma (USA), and the Portneuf and Treasure Valleys, Idaho (USA). Specifically, this study aimed to (1) describe and compare perceptions of ecosystem services within and across SES sites, (2) explore how perceptions of ecosystem services vary among local respondents and by sociodemographic factors, and (3) evaluate the overall relationship between place-based SES contexts and ecosystem service perceptions. Our results revealed that cultural ecosystem services were the most highly mentioned among those surveyed across all four sites. However, we found differences in how ecosystem services were perceived among the four SES contexts. For instance, both, social (e.g., gender, education) and local ecological (e.g., land use and climate) characteristics play roles in influencing people's perceptions of which services are important. Overall, our findings suggest the relationship between people's perceptions of ecosystem services and their socialenvironmental context is complex, which highlights the value of the PECS approach for crafting more effective and inclusive landscape management strategies.

An interdisciplinary assessment of private conservation areas in the Western United States

“…1a), with a focused effort on populated and tourist areas within the study site. The population sampled was a convenience sample (Quintas-Soriano et al 2018;Narducci et al 2019). The questionnaires collected information regarding local perceptions towards ES, perceived impact of land use/land cover on local ES, and sociodemographic information (see Appendix S2).…”

“…Social perceptions of local respondents were explored to evaluate public awareness of conservation targets. We began with a free-listing technique in which respondents were asked to name all of the possible benefits they could think of that the ecosystems in the study area provide (Quintas-Soriano et al 2018). Those examples provided were coded into ES following the international ES classification of CICES (www.cices.eu; Haines-Young and Postchin 2013).…”

Local Perceptions of Ecosystem Services Across Multiple Ecosystem Types in Spain

“…As biophysical, socio-demographic and cultural characteristics differently influence one's experience of nature [21,32,33], many studies have focused on ES from individual ecosystems and have lacked the capacity to build simultaneous comparisons. However, stakeholder recognition regarding the capacity to provide services varies among different types of ecosystems [21].…”

Landscape concepts and approaches foster learning about ecosystem services

“…Despite this critique, the concept of Ecosystem Services has gained a strong position in the scientific sphere, linking to the policy making arena, as it allows for assessment and measurements which were not done before. In addition, the concept has increased considerable attention among scientists as a way to communicate societal dependence on ecological life-support systems that integrates perspectives from both the natural and social sciences (Quintas-Soriano et al 2018). We therefore choose to ground our analysis on this concept to develop a basis for comparison between different approaches.…”