Abstract
Mediterranean cultural landscapes have been recognized as multifunctional landscapes that are currently threatened by two opposing trends: rural abandonment and agricultural intensification. Uncovering people’s perceptions of different landscape configurations, and how inhabitants value the contributions of nature to human wellbeing, is essential to understanding current landscape trends. In this study, we analyze the social perception of the cultural landscapes of Sierra Morena (Andalusia, Spain) based on 389 face-to-face visual questionnaires in an attempt to understand individuals’ landscape preferences, the reasons behind those preferences and how those landscapes are perceived as suppliers of ecosystem services by different groups of stakeholders. Four groups of stakeholders were identified that differed in how they perceive and value the cultural landscape. An urban-related group was characterized by their preferences for pine plantations and “green” landscapes, guided mostly by aesthetic criteria. A livestock-related group showed a clear preference for wood–pasture landscapes (dehesas) due to their ability to supply multiple ecosystem services. An environmentally aware group showed preferences for dehesas and Mediterranean forests, mainly guided by ecological criteria. Finally, an olive-related group showed a clear preference for olive grove landscapes as key for the regional economy and their cultural identity. Overall, the local inhabitants of Sierra Morena perceived a higher supply of ecosystem services in moderately disturbed landscapes, such as dehesas and mosaic landscapes, than in highly disturbed ones, such as conventional olive groves and pine plantations, or in less used landscapes, such as the Mediterranean forest. Understanding the differences in valuation/demand for ecosystem services among groups of stakeholders, characterized by their landscape preferences, provides important information with which to identify potential trade-offs and conflicts, thereby providing insights into the improvement of landscape planning and decision making.
Highlights
Cultural landscapes worldwide are considered as complex social-ecological systems resulting from a millennial interplay between people and nature
These links have been critical in Mediterranean cultural landscapes, where local people have managed to maintain productive activities balanced with ecosystem functions and biodiversity conservation [2] across millennia [3]
In this study, we focus on the Mediterranean cultural landscape of Sierra Morena (Andalusia, Spain) to conduct a visual enquiry of local people’s preferences regarding their cultural landscape and their own appraisal of the ecosystem services delivered by different land uses and landscape configurations
Summary
Cultural landscapes worldwide are considered as complex social-ecological systems resulting from a millennial interplay between people and nature. The connections built over time between humans and the environment are physical, cultural and mental and occur among the body, mind, emotions, action and ecosystem functions [1] These links have been critical in Mediterranean cultural landscapes, where local people have managed to maintain productive activities balanced with ecosystem functions and biodiversity conservation [2] across millennia [3]. In search of a sustainable balance, feedback loops of mutual adaptation have been shaped [4,5], giving these systems social and ecological resilience This degree of interdependence requires an ongoing review of the social-ecological interactions that have emerged from local people’s experience, because such interactions shape cultural identities and drive land management choices to maximize human wellbeing [6]. Failure to recognize these interrelations could lead to conflicts between local stakeholders and land managers
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