Abstract
AbstractSocial‐ecological contexts are key to the success of ecological restoration projects. The ecological quality of restoration efforts, however, may not be fully evident to stakeholders, particularly if the desired aesthetic experience is not delivered. Aesthetically pleasing landscapes are more highly appreciated and tend to be better protected than less appealing landscapes, regardless of their ecological value. Positive public perception of restoration actions may therefore facilitate stakeholder involvement and catalyse recognition of ecological improvement. Here we aim to contrast aesthetical perception and ecological condition in headwater river reaches restored through passive ecological restoration in study areas in Portugal (Alentejo) and France (Normandy). We recorded structural and functional indicators of riparian vegetation to monitor the ecological condition of study sites along a passive restoration trajectory. Aesthetical perception indicators were assessed through stakeholder inquiries developed under a semantic differential approach. We analysed perception responses to changes in the riparian ecosystems resulting from passive ecological restoration across different geographical contexts and social groups. The analysed social groups comprised stakeholders (environmental managers and landowners) and university students (landscape architecture and geography students). Results indicate that (a) visual preferences often do not reflect changes in ecological condition, (b) perception of the restoration process is strongly context dependent, and (c) experience and cultural background affect perception of ecological condition across the different social groups analysed. Clear identification of relevant stakeholder groups (those interested in or directly affected by restoration), effective communication, and stakeholder engagement are therefore essential for assuring the success of river restoration projects.
Highlights
The social dimension of riparian ecosystem restoration has gained increasing recognition, as ecological restoration cannot be properly undertaken without considering the socio‐economic context of the ecosystem to be restored (Dufour, Rodríguez‐González, & Laslier, 2019; Swart et al, 2018)
The analysis of ecological condition revealed that passive restoration (PR) was generally associated with increases in ecological complexity and diversity in the assessed riparian communities in both geographical contexts, with poorly structured riparian communities being found in the NR sites pastoral system in Portugal and the more intensively used landscape in Normandy (Laliberté et al, 2010)
The representation of the semantic differential (SD) graphs enabled comparisons to be made between changes in ecological condition and people's perception of different restoration stages, both in Mediterranean (Portuguese) and in temperate (French) ecological contexts
Summary
The social dimension of riparian ecosystem restoration has gained increasing recognition, as ecological restoration cannot be properly undertaken without considering the socio‐economic context of the ecosystem to be restored (Dufour, Rodríguez‐González, & Laslier, 2019; Swart et al, 2018). The longer recovery time typically required in PR can be perceived as project failure and, in the worst of cases, may lead to the premature termination of a project by a landowner who would like to see more rapid or visible results, because areas subject to PR are often perceived as unused land (Zahawi, Reid, & Holl, 2014) This is relevant in headwaters, which represent 60–80% of the cumulative length of river networks across landscapes (Benda, Hassan, Church, & May, 2005; Brooks & Colburn, 2011), but which have received relatively little attention compared to larger rivers (but see Mallik, Newaz, Mackereth, & Shahi, 2011). (a) assessed the visual perceptions of different social groups across PR trajectories; (b) analysed two different geographical contexts (Portugal and France) and the respective survey‐participant nationalities to assess if these perceptions are context dependent, in terms of both the geographical location where the restoration is implemented and the cultural background of the survey participants; and (c) investigated the relation between visual perception and observed changes in ecological and functional indicators of sites at various stages along a restoration trajectory
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