Abstract
Sustainable conservation planning depends on understanding local context including the way social values impact a landscape. Flamingos are used here as a flagship species to focus the social values of a broad range of people living in and working in the Camargue in France. A survey questionnaire (n = 87) was used to identify the range of ways in which people value the landscape and their perception of effectiveness of flamingo management strategies. Survey analysis was conducted through a multi-method approach, triangulating standard descriptive statistics, qualitative data analysis, and multivariate analysis applying numerical taxonomy. Applying numerical taxonomy allowed us to identify and define six social assemblages. Each assemblage had geographical characteristics with distinct values and perceptions in relation to management. The primary residence and geographic identity of the participants was defining, showing clear value differences from participants living in different parts of the delta. The participants most frequently agreed that flamingos contributed to the aesthetic, economic, biodiversity, and recreational values of the landscape. We show how identifying points of consensus and points in contest is necessary for navigating differences in values for conservation planning. This research shows the importance of the local social context in sustainably managing landscape change.
Highlights
Landscape values are a manifestation both of human use and human value which are often linked to ecosystem services [1]
We examined the landscape values differentiated by sociocultural, symbolic, and economic values evident in the areas used by flamingos in the Camargue to better understand the relationship between this flagship species and the socioecological landscape
Despite improved security for flamingos in the Camargue, this research demonstrates the need to account for local social context in a time of accelerating global change
Summary
Landscape values are a manifestation both of human use and human value which are often linked to ecosystem services [1] It is people who make decisions about how landscapes are used, justifying the consideration of human agency in conservation planning. The “non-material benefits people obtain from ecosystems through spiritual enrichment, cognitive development, reflection, recreation, and aesthetic experiences” [5] are too often neglected in decision-making. To make these values explicit in conservation planning, this research applied a tested typology of landscape values (sociocultural, economic and ecological) coupled with perceptions of management objectives across a social catchment of voices. Management of the flagship species, Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus), in the Camargue (France) served as a case study
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