Using stakeholders’ perspective of ecosystem services and biodiversity features to plan a marine protected area

The definition of a common vision that includes social and environmental goals, ecosystem services and/or biodiversity features that people are interested in maintaining or restoring is a great challenge for marine protected areas (MPAs). Recent initiatives have promoted broadening the focus from biodiversity conservation alone to the conservation of both ecosystem services and biodiversity, indicating that this integration should improve support and compliance from stakeholders. Using a Multiple-Use Coastal Marine Protected Area recently proposed in northern Chile, we investigated (i) stakeholders’ perceptions of the valuation of ecosystem services, threats to their provision, and the prioritization of ecosystem services, biodiversity features, and uses in a planning scenario, and (ii) stakeholders’ expectations for the establishment of a new MPA. The perceptions of different groups of stakeholders were compared and statistically analyzed, and the relationships among prioritizations were studied using a network approach. Stakeholders identified and valued 13 ecosystem services, 28 biodiversity features, 20 uses and activities, and 22 threats. Significant differences among the valuations and prioritizations of different stakeholder groups were attributable principally to artisanal fishermen's perceptions of some components that are directly related to their activities and livelihoods. High expectations of benefits from a new MPA implementation were observed for all categories of stakeholders. To relate the different valuated components, we proposed a network-based conceptual model that reduces complexity, and also as a strategy to communicate relationships and trade-offs occurring in this particular social–ecological system to the several stakeholders. We strongly recommend early stakeholder engagement so as to understand the variability in environmental perceptions and then reflect that variation in the planning and management actions of MPAs, thus improving support for their implementation and achieving conservation and societal goals. Our findings indicate that stakeholders’ perceptions and prioritizations of ecosystem services, biodiversity features and uses should be used as the basis for starting the MPA implementation and planning process.