Identification and assessment of ecosystem services for protected area planning: A case in rural communities of Wuyishan national park pilot

Abstract

It is important to integrate local residents’ awareness and perception of ecosystem services (ES) into the ES assessment for the planning of protected areas (PAs). Using data collected from the newly designated Wuyishan national park pilot, we assessed communities’ identification and perceptions of a broad range of ESs. We examined the factors that affected the preference and assessment across communities and found a PA-enclave effect: preference towards the ES categories diverge between residents inside and outside of current protected areas resulted from previous PA management. While provisioning services were recognised and closely bonded with livelihood when communities acquired them as demanders, cultural services were also recognised when communities saw themselves as providers. The recognition and assessment of regulating services were generally low as local people were more sensitive to ecological outcomes than processes. The results underline the importance of the cultural landscape history in shaping communities’ mind and the security of livelihood as a baseline to facilitate regional conservation planning. Since communities are diverse in perceptions to ESs even in the relatively homogeneous national park pilot, the management must consider a strategic planning in regulation to address the diversity in demand to achieve the conservation goal in the whole region.