Community inhabitants’ values and benefits in dynamic tropical forest landscapes - Participation and spatial analysis in landscape knowledge integration

Siirretty Doriast

Combining sense of place theory with the ecosystem services concept: empirical insights and reflections from a participatory mapping study

Context: River landscapes represent hotspots for biodiversity and ecosystem services used and embraced by human agents. Changes in river landscapes are subjectively perceived by people and can be assessed through the lenses of cultural ecosystem services (CES) and sense of place (SOP). Objectives: This study aims to assess people–place relationships in a river landscape by integrating SOP theory and the CES concept and critically reflecting on their interplay. Research objectives relate to meanings and attachments attributed by citizens to places and the influence of the physical environment and socioeconomic settings. Methods: We employed a spatially meaningful place indicator in a public participation GIS survey, combining meanings elucidated through a free listing exercise and multiple-choice questions. Statistical analyses were employed to investigate relationships between meanings, place attachment, and environmental and social variables. Results: The results showed that (1) place meaning assessments can complement place attachment data by enhancing the understanding of relationships to biophysical and socioeconomic variables, and (2) combinations of both assessment approaches for place meanings showed that CESs were reflected in many free listed meaning types, dominantly related to forms or practices, but neglect relational values, such as “Heimat” (i.e., in German expression of the long-standing connection to an area) or memories. Conclusions: This paper explicates synergies between SOP theory and CES concept. CES research offers insights from spatial assessments, while SOP research provides theoretical depth regarding relational values linked to CES. This paper critically reflects the ostensible consent of understanding SOP as a CES and proposes considering SOP as an overarching theory for CES assessment. © 2021, The Author(s)

Honouring the participatory mapping contributions and enduring legacy of Professor Gregory G. Brown

This commentary honours the seminal and foundational contributions of Professor Gregory G. (Greg) Brown to the fields of public participation geographic information systems (PPGIS), natural resource management and spatial planning. We synthesise his work into four theses that underpinned his three decades of research: 1) The mapping of place values provides place-specific information about sense of place which can aid in the assessment of the risks associated with landscape modification; 2) PPGIS analysis techniques can support socially acceptable and scientifically defensible land-use decisions in multiple planning contexts; 3) Issues of representation and data quality can be systematically investigated and managed; and 4) While PPGIS is increasingly being applied by cities and other organisations globally, there remains multiple challenges regarding the use of PPGIS findings in land-use decision making. We then briefly summarise his future visions for PPGIS research into: improving participation, and identifying and controlling threats to spatial data quality; turning PPGIS from a participation tool to a political force that can engage with the politics of place and, related to the previous vision; building capacity and champions for those who see the value in participatory mapping methods and are willing to articulate publicly how participatory contributions will be used. The co-authors and all signatories to this commentary are deeply grateful for the many ways that Greg has touched our lives over the years. He will be sadly missed.Peer reviewe

A learning-based algorithm for generation of synthetic participatory mapping data in 2D and 3D

Public participation GIS (PPGIS) is a kind of spatial data that is collected through map-based surveys in which participants create map features and express their experiences and opinions associated with various places. PPGIS is widely used in urban and environmental research. PPGIS is often implemented through online surveys and points are the most common mapped features. PPGIS data provide invaluable experiential spatial knowledge. Nevertheless, collection of this data for purely methodological purposes may be costly and unnecessary. Therefore, we developed a context-aware method that can learn from previously collected PPGIS data and create a realistic dataset that can be used for methodological development purposes. The synthetic data can be generated for any desired geographical extent in both 2D and 3D, i.e. with Z coordinates. The latter is particularly important as 3D PPGIS is an emerging frontier and limited infrastructures currently exist for collection of such data. Hence, while the relevant technology is developing, spatial analytical developments can also advance using such synthetic data. This method:•Learns from existing 2D and 3D PPGIS data in relation to the geographical context.•Creates a realistic and context-aware simulated PPGIS point dataset. ​​​​​​​The paper concludes by addressing the limitations and envisioning future research directions.</p

A social-ecological analysis of ecosystem services supply and trade-offs in European wood-pastures

Los pastizales de bosques son sistemas socio-ecológicos complejos (SES), que son el producto de la interacción a largo plazo entre la sociedad y el paisaje que la rodea. Tradicionalmente caracterizados por una gestión multifuncional de baja intensidad que mejoraba una amplia gama de servicios de los ecosistemas (SA), la gestión actual de las explotaciones agrícolas ha cambiado hacia modelos de explotación más intensivos. Este estudio evalúa la oferta de SA en cuatro áreas de estudio dominadas por los pastizales de bosques manejados en España, Suecia y Rumania. Sobre la base de 144 encuestas en granjas y el uso de técnicas multivariadas, caracterizamos el manejo y la estructura de las granjas en las áreas de estudio e identificamos las compensaciones en el suministro de SA asociados a este manejo. Vinculamos estas compensaciones a múltiples factores que caracterizan la gestión de la tierra: económicos, sociales, ambientales, tecnológicos y de gobierno. Finalmente, analizamos cómo los valores y perspectivas de los propietarios de la tierra tienen un efecto en las decisiones de gestión. Los resultados muestran un patrón diferenciado de la oferta de SA en las cuatro áreas de estudio. Identificamos cuatro tipos de compensaciones en la oferta de SA que aparecen dependiendo de lo que está siendo promovido por la administración de la finca y que están asociadas con diferentes dimensiones del manejo de los pastizales de bosques: compensaciones relacionadas con la productividad, compensaciones relacionadas con la producción de cultivos, compensaciones relacionadas con la multifuncionalidad y compensaciones relacionadas con la accesibilidad de la finca. Estas compensaciones se ven influidas por complejas interacciones entre las propiedades del CSE, que tienen una influencia directa en las perspectivas y motivaciones de los propietarios de las tierras. Las conclusiones de este documento hacen avanzar la comprensión de la dinámica entre los agro-ecosistemas y la sociedad y pueden servir de base para las políticas agrícolas y de conservación basadas en el sistema.Wood-pastures are complex social-ecological systems (SES), which are the product of long-term interaction between society and its surrounding landscape. Traditionally characterized by multifunctional low-intensity management that enhanced a wide range of ecosystem services (ES), current farm management has shifted toward more intensive farm models. This study assesses the supply of ES in four study areas dominated by managed wood-pastures in Spain, Sweden, and Romania. On the basis of 144 farm surveys and the use of multivariate techniques, we characterize farm management and structure in the study areas and identify the trade-offs in ES supply associated with this management. We link these trade-offs to multiple factors that characterize the landholding: economic, social, environmental, technological, and governance. Finally, we analyze how landholders’ values and perspectives have an effect on management decisions. Results show a differentiated pattern of ES supply in the four study areas. We identified four types of trade-offs in ES supply that appear depending on what is being promoted by the farm management and that are associated with different dimensions of wood-pasture management: productivity-related trade-offs, crop production–related trade-offs, multifunctionality-related trade-offs, and farm accessibility–related trade-offs. These trade-offs are influenced by complex interactions between the properties of the SES, which have a direct influence on landholders’ perspectives and motivations. The findings of this paper advance the understanding of the dynamics between agroecosystems and society and can inform system-based agricultural and conservation policies.• European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme. Grant nº 613520 (Project AGFORWARD)peerReviewe

Extracting sensory experiences and cultural ecosystem services from actively crowdsourced descriptions of everyday lived landscapes

Acknowledgements We would like to thank everyone who took part in Window Expeditions, without you this research would not have been possible! We would also like to extend our gratitude to the anonymous reviewers whose helpful comments improved the quality of this paper. Funding University Research Priority Program (URPP) – Language and Space & Swiss National Science Foundation Grant [P500PT_214436]Peer reviewe

How to run a sustainability science research group sustainably?

Rigorous sustainability science includes addressing pressing real-world problems, weaving multiple knowledge systems, and striving for transformative change. However, these key attributes of sustainability science often conflict with university structures and established academic work practices, for instance with regard to frequent long-distance travel. Such contradictions between key principles of sustainability and everyday practices are experienced by many researchers not only at university level, but also in their individual behaviors. To help resolve this widespread divergence, we present ten principles to foster the sustainability of a research group working in sustainability science, based on our personal experiences and experiments as research group leaders. These principles comprise: (1) monitor the environmental footprint, (2) foster learning and innovation, (3) reduce the environmental footprint, (4) nurture campus sustainability, (5) embrace sustainability in private life, (6) constructively deal with environmental anxiety, (7) design research projects for sustainability impact, (8) engage with stakeholders, (9) capitalize on sustainability teaching, and (10) recognize biases and limits. Applying sustainability principles in everyday research practices can provide important social tipping points that may trigger the spreading of new social norms and behaviors