Living close to forests enhances people׳s perception of ecosystem services in a forest–agricultural landscape of West Java, Indonesia

Dendi Muhamad, Satoru Okubo, Koji Harashina, Parikesit,, Budhi Gunawan and Kazuhiko Takeuchi

Ecosystem Services, 2014, vol. 8, issue C, 197-206

Abstract: There is a growing demand for incorporating social preferences in ecosystem service assessments. To establish sustainable rural landscape management with alternative sources of preferable ecosystem services that fulfills conservation objectives and reduces poverty, we need information about the perceptions of local people regarding particular landscape elements as the sources. Within a forest to agricultural landscape in West Java, we examined what types of ecosystem services were perceived by rural people, the effects of socioeconomic factors on people׳s perceptions of ecosystem services, and which landscape elements were perceived as the sources. We found rural people were greatly aware of ecosystem services, although more provisioning services were perceived than other services. Place of origin, residential location, area of agricultural lands and agroforests, and number of livestock were the most influential socioeconomic factors determining the number of ecosystem services an individual respondent perceived. People living closer to the remnant forest perceived more ecosystem services. Agroforest was perceived as the source providing the most ecosystem services followed by the forest. Our findings suggest people living close to forest will promote prospective ecosystem services as long as their needs are accommodated. Furthermore, our findings indicate agroforests play an important role as a supplement of forests.

Keywords: Perceived ecosystem services; Poverty reduction; Generalized linear model; Agroforest; Mosaic landscape (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (32)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecoser:v:8:y:2014:i:c:p:197-206

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoser.2014.04.003

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