Abstract
Participatory mapping is a valuable approach for documenting the influence of human activities on species, ecosystems, and ecosystem services, as well as the variability of human activities over space and time. This method is particularly valuable in data-poor systems; however, there has never been a systematic approach for identifying the total number of respondents necessary to map the entire spatial extent of a particular human activity. Here, we develop a new technique for identifying sufficient respondent sample sizes for participatory mapping by adapting species rarefaction curves. With a case study from a heavily fished marine ecosystem in the central Philippines, we analyze participatory maps depicting locations of individuals’ fishing grounds across six decades. Within a specified area, we assessed how different sample sizes (i.e. small vs. large numbers of respondents) would influence the estimated extent of fishing for a specified area. The estimated extent of fishing demonstrated asymptotic behavior as after interviewing a sufficiently large number of individuals, additional respondents did not increase the estimated extent. We determined that 120 fishers were necessary to capture 90% of the maximum spatial extent of fishing within our study area from 1990 to 2010, equivalent to 1.1% of male fishers in the region. However, a higher number of elder fishers need to be interviewed to accurately map fishing extent in 1960 to 1980. Participatory maps can provide context for current ecosystem conditions and can support guidelines for management and conservation. Their utility is strengthened by better consideration of the impacts of respondent sample sizes and how this can vary over time for historical assessments.
Highlights
Technological advances have created and improved opportunities to map humanity’s interactions with natural systems and use of resources
When basemaps for participatory mapping integrate satellite imagery, these images provide visible geographic references which help to orient participants and enable them to improve the positional accuracy of their own mapping
Three years (1990, 2000, 2010) had a large enough number of active fishers for the maximum extent fished to level off with area rarefaction curves (Figure 6a). Using data from these three years, we found that the mean maximum extent of fishing was 319.94 km2 (89.4% of the ocean in the study area)
Summary
Technological advances have created and improved opportunities to map humanity’s interactions with natural systems and use of resources. Remotely sensed satellite imagery can support the mapping of human activities that create visible changes to the landscape, such as urbanization and logging. Participatory mapping has benefited from the integration of technologies such as satellite imagery and mapping apps (e.g., http://landscapevalues.org/ispm/software-tools/), which can facilitate spatial accuracy and the digitizing of previously uncodified knowledge [5,6]. When basemaps for participatory mapping integrate satellite imagery, these images provide visible geographic references (e.g., streams, roads, atolls) which help to orient participants and enable them to improve the positional accuracy of their own mapping. Mapping applications linked to such basemaps can reduce the processing time of participatory mapping by allowing participants to map directly into a digital environment
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