Importance-performance analysis of ecosystem services in tribal communities of the Barind region, Eastern India

Abstract

The socio-ecological nexus underlie the economic and cultural importance of ecosystems, especially for tribal communities in developing countries. The nexus are critical for the sustainable management of ecosystems that support existing social and cultural bonding within tribal communities. The present study evaluates ecosystem services (ES) using importance-performance analysis (IPA) in tribal communities of Barind region, Eastern India. Field surveys and questionnaires eliciting social preferences were used in data collection and analyzed to evaluate the perceived importance and performance of ES. Two hundred randomly selected households participated. Non-parametric tests were applied to adjudge differences in perceived importance and performance of ES. Results showed that provisioning ES such as water, fuel wood, medicinal plants were of greatest importance among the tribal communities, followed by cultural and regulating ES. High discrepancy was observed between perceived importance and performance of ES to the tribal communities. Findings also revealed that high prioritization must be given to ES such as water, spiritual and cultural value, food, medicinal plants, materials for house construction and fuel wood. Present evaluation suggests that understanding the socio-ecological nexus through focus on the perceived importance and performance of ES, by examining socio-cultural perceptions, is necessary to support sustainable management and flows of services provided from ecosystems.