Cultural ecosystem services can be correlated with bio-physical variables using geo-tagged digital images in forested landscapes of Southern Patagonia

MARTÍNEZ PASTUR, G; PERI, P; LENCINAS, MV; GARCÍA-LLORENTE, M; MARTÍN-LÓPEZ, B

Conferencia; IUFRO-LE Conference.; 2015

Developing methodological approaches thatspatially and explicitly address the social importance of cultural ecosystemservices (CES) is needed for regional planning, but few studies have analysedtheir distribution on the basis of social perceptions. The objective was toidentify CES hotspots and factors that characterize such hotspots, by definingspatial associations between CES in Southern Patagonia (Argentina). We usedgeo-tagged digital images that local people and visitors posted in thePanoramio web platform to identify hotspots of four CES (aesthetic value,existence value, recreation and local identity) and related these hotspots withsociobiophysical landscapes features. Aesthetic value was the main CES tagged bypeople, followed by the existence value of biodiversity, local identity, andrecreational activity. The spatial distribution of these CES is associated withdifferent socio-biophysical characteristics, such as the presence of waterbodies, vegetation types, protected areas, urbanization, accessibility andtourism potential. The employed methodology allows us to define hotspots fordifferent CES and to determine the socio-biophysical characteristics associatedwith their provision, according to specific particularities in the studiedregions.