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

G MARTÍNEZ PASTUR; PL PERI; MV LENCINAS; M GARCIA LLORENTE; B MARTIN LOPEZ

Tartu

Conferencia; IUFRO Landscape Ecology Conference; 2015

Tartu University

Develop methodological approaches that spatially explicit addresses the social importance of cultural ecosystem services (CES) for regional planning is needed, but few studies have analysed their distribution using social perceptions. The objective was to identify CES hotspots, and factors that characterize such hotspots defining spatial associations between CES in Southern Patagonia (Argentina). We used geo-tagged digital images that local people and visitors posted in the Panoramio web platform to identify hotspots of four CES (aesthetic value, existence value, recreation and local identity) and relate these hotspots with socio-biophysical landscapes features. Aesthetic value was the main CES tagged by people, followed by the existence value of biodiversity, local identity, and recreational activity. The spatial distribution of these CES are associated with different socio-biophysical characteristics, such as the presence of water bodies, vegetation types, protected areas, urbanization, accessibility and tourism offer. The employed methodology allows us to define hotspots for the different CES and to determine the socio-biophysical characteristics that are associated with to their provision, according to the specific particularities in the studied regions. The new methodology presented here is useful for assessing CES at regional scales, especially in areas such as Southern Patagonia with low data availability or difficult accessibility.