Analysing perceptions of nature and nature's contributions to people for a Swiss ecological infrastructure

Abstract Understanding how a population perceives nature and nature's contributions to people is key to designing a society's ecological infrastructure. Narrative‐based research can capture how people perceive and value nature. Using the Intergovernmental Science‐Policy Platform on Biodive...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Marina Cracco, Gretchen Walters, Romain Loup
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-01-01
Series:People and Nature
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10751
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1832591099672133632
author Marina Cracco
Gretchen Walters
Romain Loup
author_facet Marina Cracco
Gretchen Walters
Romain Loup
author_sort Marina Cracco
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Understanding how a population perceives nature and nature's contributions to people is key to designing a society's ecological infrastructure. Narrative‐based research can capture how people perceive and value nature. Using the Intergovernmental Science‐Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) framework, through a survey, we capture narratives to assess the value and perceptions of nature and its contributions of Swiss residents living inside and outside parks. We examined 924 narratives of experiences (26% response rate) in nature from a large representative sample of the study areas' populations. This research grants agency to study participants to assess the social value of nature through experience interpretation, thus reducing the interpretation bias of the researchers. Residents in these regions perceive parks, and other areas where nature has been prioritized, provide more benefits than other areas; nature's intrinsic value is as equally important or, for some, even more important than its importance for the economy or culture; and that the perception on the state of nature and nature's contributions differ inside and outside parks. As one of the few exploratory studies to examine perceptions of all types of contributions of nature, using the IPBES international framework, and looking at nature inside and outside parks, this work contributes to strengthening the design and management of parks and ecological infrastructure in Switzerland and beyond. People's values and perceptions of nature provide information to establish ecological infrastructure that could transcend the boundaries of the parks into the larger landscape. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
format Article
id doaj-art-69791309e0744f1dbe545e56ad2f9361
institution Kabale University
issn 2575-8314
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series People and Nature
spelling doaj-art-69791309e0744f1dbe545e56ad2f93612025-01-23T04:04:08ZengWileyPeople and Nature2575-83142025-01-017114615910.1002/pan3.10751Analysing perceptions of nature and nature's contributions to people for a Swiss ecological infrastructureMarina Cracco0Gretchen Walters1Romain Loup2Institute of Geography and Sustainability (IGD) University of Lausanne Lausanne SwitzerlandInstitute of Geography and Sustainability (IGD) University of Lausanne Lausanne SwitzerlandInstitute of Geography and Sustainability (IGD) University of Lausanne Lausanne SwitzerlandAbstract Understanding how a population perceives nature and nature's contributions to people is key to designing a society's ecological infrastructure. Narrative‐based research can capture how people perceive and value nature. Using the Intergovernmental Science‐Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) framework, through a survey, we capture narratives to assess the value and perceptions of nature and its contributions of Swiss residents living inside and outside parks. We examined 924 narratives of experiences (26% response rate) in nature from a large representative sample of the study areas' populations. This research grants agency to study participants to assess the social value of nature through experience interpretation, thus reducing the interpretation bias of the researchers. Residents in these regions perceive parks, and other areas where nature has been prioritized, provide more benefits than other areas; nature's intrinsic value is as equally important or, for some, even more important than its importance for the economy or culture; and that the perception on the state of nature and nature's contributions differ inside and outside parks. As one of the few exploratory studies to examine perceptions of all types of contributions of nature, using the IPBES international framework, and looking at nature inside and outside parks, this work contributes to strengthening the design and management of parks and ecological infrastructure in Switzerland and beyond. People's values and perceptions of nature provide information to establish ecological infrastructure that could transcend the boundaries of the parks into the larger landscape. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10751biodiversity conservationecosystem servicesmicro‐narrativesparksprotected areassocial value
spellingShingle Marina Cracco
Gretchen Walters
Romain Loup
Analysing perceptions of nature and nature's contributions to people for a Swiss ecological infrastructure
People and Nature
biodiversity conservation
ecosystem services
micro‐narratives
parks
protected areas
social value
title Analysing perceptions of nature and nature's contributions to people for a Swiss ecological infrastructure
title_full Analysing perceptions of nature and nature's contributions to people for a Swiss ecological infrastructure
title_fullStr Analysing perceptions of nature and nature's contributions to people for a Swiss ecological infrastructure
title_full_unstemmed Analysing perceptions of nature and nature's contributions to people for a Swiss ecological infrastructure
title_short Analysing perceptions of nature and nature's contributions to people for a Swiss ecological infrastructure
title_sort analysing perceptions of nature and nature s contributions to people for a swiss ecological infrastructure
topic biodiversity conservation
ecosystem services
micro‐narratives
parks
protected areas
social value
url https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10751
work_keys_str_mv AT marinacracco analysingperceptionsofnatureandnaturescontributionstopeopleforaswissecologicalinfrastructure
AT gretchenwalters analysingperceptionsofnatureandnaturescontributionstopeopleforaswissecologicalinfrastructure
AT romainloup analysingperceptionsofnatureandnaturescontributionstopeopleforaswissecologicalinfrastructure