What value São Pedro's procession? Ecosystem services from local people's perceptions

Abstract

Although several frameworks have been developed to identify and value ecosystem services, few studies have focused on the perceptions of individuals about how they relate to their surroundings and how they value ecosystem services. We investigated the extent to which the concepts and categories of ecosystem services are able to accommodate peoples' perceptions about their individual–surroundings relationships. We used a qualitative approach to identify local people's perceptions in Tarituba, a coastal village on the southeastern Brazil. We found that the categories of ecosystem services accommodated only partially the range of perceptions of individuals about their relationships with the environment. Individuals perceive that they actively search and pursue their provisioning and other services, and are not passive recipients of “benefits” or “products” from nature. As well, we documented how the relations with the environment change over time. Some cultural values can be identified using ecosystem services frameworks, but they do not fit the monetary valuation models from economics. Regulating and supporting services could rarely accommodate people's perceptions. More realistic models for understanding individual–surroundings relationships must include people's perceptions, and account for the dynamic nature of these relationships.