“Things are different now”

Farmer perceptions of cultural ecosystem services of traditional rice landscapes in Vietnam and the Philippines

authored by: Vera Tekken, Joachim H. Spangenberg, Benjamin Burkhard, Monina Escalada, Susanne Stoll-Kleemann, Dao Thanh Truong, Josef Settele
Abstract: Traditional rice production has shaped distinctive cultural landscapes in SE Asia. Rice cultivation is closely linked to socio-cultural values and has created specific agrobiodiversity. Increasing development pressures lead to an intensification of small-scale production systems and with this to changes of landscapes and associated ecosystems services. With a focus on cultural ecosystem services and along different land use gradients a qualitative assessment of farmer's perceptions regarding cultural values of their landscapes was conducted. Interviews focused on traditional farming methods and the abundance of cultural values and perceptions that support the preservation of low-input, sustainable land management strategies. 73 indicators for Cultural Identity, Landscape Aesthetics, and Knowledge Systems were derived, revealing that socio-cultural structures and the socioeconomic situation of farmers influence their view on landscape-related cultural services. The qualitative approach of this research provides an important contribution to the field of ecosystem service assessments because these are the values people perceive based on culturally embedded and socially shaped preferences. For the implementation of ecological engineering, which is based on participation and on the belief into the natural resilience of ecosystems, the assessment of cultural ecosystem services provides important evidence in which areas this theoretical concept could find higher acceptance.
Organisation(s): Institute of Physical Geography and Landscape Ecology
Physical Geography Group
External Organisation(s): University of Greifswald
Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health
Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF)
Visayas State University
Vietnam National University
Leipzig University
University of the Philippines
Type: Article
Journal: Ecosystem Services
Volume: 25
Pages: 153-166
No. of pages: 14
ISSN: 2212-0416
Publication date: 01.06.2017
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Global and Planetary Change, Geography, Planning and Development, Ecology, Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous), Nature and Landscape Conservation, Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 15 - Life on Land
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2017.04.010 (Access: Closed)