Abstract
ABSTRACTUnderstanding the significance that cultural ecosystem services (CES) have for traditional communities will provide useful input to the design of more appropriate regional or territorial plans for the area in which they are located. We conducted semi-structured surveys in 11 indigenous communities within the corregimiento La Pedrera, of the Colombian Amazon. We analysed the CES established in the region through a study of their preferences in relation to the service providing units (SPUs) identified, using the Shannon diversity index method as an indicator of ‘diversity of use’. More CES were identified in communities with a larger population; education and recreation were the two most prevalent CES categories in the study area. Our findings also highlight the cultural importance of bodies of water, which were strongly linked with Spiritual and Sense of Place CES. Furthermore, the integration of qualitative and quantitative assessments enables a better understanding of the importance CES which have for the local communities involved in the study and may assist in the management of the indigenous territory.EDITED BY Matthias Schröter
Highlights
IntroductionThe diverse and heterogeneous nature of the Amazon, partly resulting from its plural ethnicities, is currently confronting many challenges, including high extraction and exploitation of its natural resources (e.g. timber and mineral resources), changes in land use (e.g. conversion of forests into monoculture), pervasive habitat degradation, hunting and overfishing (Portocarrero-Aya & Cowx, 2015; Navarrete et al 2016), and uncontrolled and unplanned urban growth (Ferraz et al 2008; Fundación Alisos 2011; AngaritaBáez 2016)
The diverse and heterogeneous nature of the Amazon, partly resulting from its plural ethnicities, is currently confronting many challenges, including high extraction and exploitation of its natural resources, changes in land use, pervasive habitat degradation, hunting and overfishing (Portocarrero-Aya & Cowx, 2015; Navarrete et al 2016), and uncontrolled and unplanned urban growth (Ferraz et al 2008; Fundación Alisos 2011; AngaritaBáez 2016)
We identified 13 service providing units (SPUs) (Table 4) and seven categories of cultural ecosystem services (CES) related to aesthetics, education, cultural heritage, inspiration, recreation, sense of place and spiritual
Summary
The diverse and heterogeneous nature of the Amazon, partly resulting from its plural ethnicities, is currently confronting many challenges, including high extraction and exploitation of its natural resources (e.g. timber and mineral resources), changes in land use (e.g. conversion of forests into monoculture), pervasive habitat degradation, hunting and overfishing (Portocarrero-Aya & Cowx, 2015; Navarrete et al 2016), and uncontrolled and unplanned urban growth (Ferraz et al 2008; Fundación Alisos 2011; AngaritaBáez 2016) These problems are threatening the environmental sustainability of the region and the wellbeing of the Amazonian tribes, which have settled there since times immemorial (Balvanera et al 2012). ES research can provide information to resource managers to better understand the trade-offs and long-term impacts of different types of natural resource use (Raymond et al 2013)
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