Modelling cultural ecosystem services in agricultural dykelands and tidal wetlands to inform coastal infrastructure decisions: A social media data approach

Abstract

Agricultural dykelands and tidal wetlands around Canada’s Bay of Fundy are experiencing increasingly severe impacts from sea level rise and climate change, leading to management challenges. Managers will have to decide which dykes to reinforce, which to realign or remove, and where to restore wetlands. These decisions will have important impacts on the ecosystem services provided by different landscapes and the beneficiaries who use them. Cultural ecosystem services (CES) are non-material benefits that play a significant role in human-nature relationships. Previous research in the region has indicated strong local dykeland attachments and CES but provided little insight about tidal wetland uses and values. Using the Kings County region as a study area, we identify CES provided by the area through text analysis of Instagram data and map the CES using the SolVES model combined with environmental data. Revealed differences in CES delivery from agricultural dykelands and tidal wetlands provide spatial insight for coastal planning. The results show that agricultural dykelands have a higher supply capacity for cultural heritage/diversity, education and knowledge systems and social relations and relational values; tidal wetlands have a higher supply capacity for sense of place and terroir. For aesthetics, inspiration and art, and recreation and tourism, the two landscapes are comparable in delivery. In the small proportion of the two landscapes where CES are modelled as being present they often overlap, demonstrating multifunctionality, with an average of 1.4 services provided by a given area of agricultural dykelands and 2.6 services by tidal wetlands.