The relevance of stakeholders’ perceptions of ecosystem services in a rural-urban watershed in Mexico City

Abstract

Despite the term ecosystem services (ES) being important for the study of the relationship between ecosystems and society, it is still not clear how to incorporate the socio-cultural dimension. Therefore, it is important to analyze the environmental perceptions of stakeholders and their relationships with ES. This paper aims to identify the ES perceived by groups of stakeholders in a rural-urban area immersed in a complex socio-environmental dynamic and how those perceptions influence their decision making. Hydrological services are found to be the only ES perceived by all groups of stakeholders; nevertheless, the meaning associated with this and the other ES differs among stakeholder groups. There is a relationship between the perceived ES, the current activities or uses the stakeholders associate with the ES and the policies that aim to regulate the activities carried out within the study area. The implementation of policies aimed at regulating these activities and uses could modify the perception of the stakeholder groups. We consider a paradigm shift in the way activities and policies are being carried out to be necessary due to the effect they could have regarding the use of certain services, which could eventually compromise the generation of others.