Re-Imagining Nature Communication: The Role of Societal Values for Forest Ecosystem Services

29 Pages Posted: 26 Nov 2021

See all articles by Helga Puelzl

Helga Puelzl

Universität für Bodenkultur Wien (BOKU) - Institute of Forest, Environment and Resource Policy

Filip Aggestam

Universität für Bodenkultur Wien (BOKU) - Institute of Forest, Environment and Resource Policy

Irina Prokofieva

Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau - Forest Sciences Centre of Catalonia (CTFC)

Natalia V. Lukina

Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) - Center for Forest Ecology and Productivity

Metodi Sotirov

University of Freiburg

Mireia Pecurul-Botines

Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia

Darya N. Tebenkova

Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) - Center for Forest Ecology and Productivity

Camilla Widmark

Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) - Department of Forest Economics

Christoph Rosinger

University of Cologne - Institute of Zoology

Abstract

Forests are increasingly vulnerable to climate change and biodiversity loss, but the aim to achieve net zero greenhouse emissions will trigger increased forest use in the future, enforcing different viewpoints about the right course of action. Analysing new survey data from five countries in Europe we found that citizens’ environmental orientation is the most significant factor in predicting preferences towards forest ecosystem services. Our results also show that personal values are significant in predicting the sample group’s environmental orientation contrary to socio-demographic factors. If therefore decision-makers continue to impose culturally specific values failing to acknowledge that citizens have varied environmental orientations guided by personal values, this will impact the acceptance of forest-related decision-making. Improving the understanding of societal values and preferences for specific ecosystem services among citizens should be seen as a pre-condition for being able to effectively tackle and manage value-based trade-offs and synergies in forests.

Keywords: Societal values, environmental orientations, forest ecosystem services, citizens perceptions

Suggested Citation

Puelzl, Helga and Aggestam, Filip and Prokofieva, Irina and Lukina, Natalia V. and Sotirov, Metodi and Pecurul-Botines, Mireia and Tebenkova, Darya N. and Widmark, Camilla and Rosinger, Christoph, Re-Imagining Nature Communication: The Role of Societal Values for Forest Ecosystem Services. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3972031 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3972031

Helga Puelzl

Universität für Bodenkultur Wien (BOKU) - Institute of Forest, Environment and Resource Policy ( email )

Feistmantelstr 4
Vienna
Austria

Filip Aggestam (Contact Author)

Universität für Bodenkultur Wien (BOKU) - Institute of Forest, Environment and Resource Policy ( email )

Feistmantelstr 4
Vienna
Austria

Irina Prokofieva

Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau - Forest Sciences Centre of Catalonia (CTFC) ( email )

Santa Victoria Pavilion , c/St. Antoni M. Claret,
Barcelona, 08025
Spain

Natalia V. Lukina

Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) - Center for Forest Ecology and Productivity ( email )

117997 Profsoyuznaya st. 84/32
Moscow, RU117997
Russia

Metodi Sotirov

University of Freiburg ( email )

Fahnenbergplatz
Freiburg, D-79085
Germany

Mireia Pecurul-Botines

Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia ( email )

C. Sant Llorenç, Km2
Solsona, E-25180
Spain

Darya N. Tebenkova

Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) - Center for Forest Ecology and Productivity ( email )

117997 Profsoyuznaya st. 84/32
Moscow, RU117997
Russia

Camilla Widmark

Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) - Department of Forest Economics ( email )

S-901 83 Umea
Sweden

Christoph Rosinger

University of Cologne - Institute of Zoology ( email )

Zülpicher Straße 47b
Cologne, 50674
Germany

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