Assessing stakeholders' perceptions and values towards social-ecological systems using participatory methods

INTRODUCTION: Many conservation initiatives for managing social-ecological landscapes factor in the best available biophysical information. However, insufficient consideration of social aspects can render such initiatives ineffective. By incorporating stakeholders' perceptions and values, and by involving stakeholders (transparently) in decision-making processes, conservation plans and efforts can better achieve desired goals and targets. RESULTS: In this paper, we present and analyze three case studies within different ecological and land use contexts. Each case study uses different participatory approaches to elicit stakeholders' perceptions and values, while seeking to involve stakeholders in the decision-making process. The case studies are the following: (1) participatory scenario planning for a protected area in Doñana coastal wetland in Southwestern Spain; (2) assessment of ecosystem services trade-offs and social responses on rewards for agro-biodiversity in the rubber agroforest landscape in Jambi, Indonesia; and (3) socio-cultural evaluation, through visual stimuli, of ecosystem services provided by transhumance cultural landscapes in Central Spain. We discuss how stakeholders perceive and value their environments and to what extent participatory approaches are useful for capturing information relating to land use and ecological processes. CONCLUSIONS: Social-ecological systems are inherently complex, having a variety of interacting actors with different types of ecological knowledge, interests, and values. Different participatory tools or approaches are appropriate for various and specific contexts and objectives. Determining and integrating the various types of knowledge and values of different actors can contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of social-ecological systems.