The project has a stepwise design that aims at linking Cultural ecosystem services defined by stakeholders to anthropogenic disturbance and spacial explicit inidcators of ecosystem function and structure. The project will be divided into for workpackages (WP) (see Figure 1).
Figure 1. WPS and proposed methodology.
WP1. Analyses of public participation tools for spatial explicit analyses of cultural ecosystem services.
Spatially explicit cultural ecosystem services will be identified through PPGIS (Public participatory GIS) in this WP (see Figures 2&3). Local communities and visitors to the protected areas will be interviewed asked to identify areas they value in the landscape.
Figure 2. Internet based PPGIS.
Figure 3. Tablet based PPGIS.
WP2. Predictive spatial modeling and mapping of cultural ecosystem services.
In this WP, ecosystem services identified in WP1 will be grouped and related to specific natural landscape features (e.g. vegetation, terrain) and the presence or distance to human infrastructure (e.g. roads, settlements). Both natural and human features can also be used to explain the existence of cultural ecosystem services mapped in WP1. This WP will answer the following questions:
- How are the different bundles of cultural ecosystem services related to different types of landscape features?
- What is the importance of human infrastructure for the presence of cultural ecosystem services?
- Are the cultural ecosystem services found in spatial clusters i.e. “hot spots”, or are they widely distributed within the study area?
- Are different bundles of ecosystem services overlapping in space suggesting spatial trade-offs, or are they found in different parts of the study area?
WP3. Cultural ecosystem services, human traces and ecosystem properties.
The aim of WP3 is to establish the causes and effects in the relationships betweeen cultural ecosystem services, intensity of use, human traces and ecosystem properties. Data obtained from WP2 will be combined with intensive field and remote sensing studies. By the end of this WP we will be able to answer the following questions:
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How are different human traces related to different landscape features and ecosystem services?
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How are human traces related to the distance from human infrastructure?
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Are some cultural ecosystem services dependent on the presence of specific ecosystem Properties?
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How does the intensity of use affect ecosystem properties?
WP4. Integrative synthesis and analyses.
WP4 will include a workshop to engage stakeholders in the analyses and has three aims:
- Integrative analyses and synthesis of WP1, WP2 and WP3.
- Model validations of assumptions for coupling values, landscape features and disturbances in the previous WP.
- Management relevance check of Our findings in relation to the protected areas goals and monitoring targets.
A structured process for participation will be established and through visualization Technologies participants will be asked to validate presented maps and information.