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1. Cultural ecosystem services (CES), a key aspect of nature's contributions to people, remain a challenge to incorporate into decision making. One contributing factor is the difficulty of defining and describing these, due partly to: ongoing poor understanding of what drives people to interact with nature, a lack of appropriate data to quantify these interactions, and basic difficulties in measuring and modelling the complex array of social, psychological and behavioural attributes which help explain people's actions. 2. In this study we present a framework which develops the concepts of cultural capital, social capital and human capital as specific forms of human-centred capital, in the context of their contribution to understanding CES. Each form of capital encompasses separate attributes of beneficiaries. 3. Testing the framework with data from a separate trans-disciplinary study illustrated that the framework was readily applicable to specific situations. A measure of cultural capital, EcoCentrism, explained more variation than a suite of seven demographic variables. 4. Applying the framework also showed that despite using a wide range of explanatory variables, a large proportion of observed variation remained unaccounted for. This suggests that more work is needed to understand and to develop metrics which can measure additional factors which underlie peoples’ motivations to engage with nature. The framework is applicable to other types of ecosystem service, and may also be useful for exploring relational values.

1. Cultural ecosystem services (CES), a key aspect of nature's contributions to people, remain a challenge to incorporate into decision making. One contributing factor is the difficulty of defining and describing these, due partly to: ongoing poor understanding of what drives people to interact with nature, a lack of appropriate data to quantify these interactions, and basic difficulties in measuring and modelling the complex array of social, psychological and behavioural attributes which help explain people's actions. 2. In this study we present a framework which develops the concepts of cultural capital, social capital and human capital as specific forms of human-centred capital, in the context of their contribution to understanding CES. Each form of capital encompasses separate attributes of beneficiaries. 3. Testing the framework with data from a separate trans-disciplinary study illustrated that the framework was readily applicable to specific situations. A measure of cultural capital, EcoCentrism, explained more variation than a suite of seven demographic variables. 4. Applying the framework also showed that despite using a wide range of explanatory variables, a large proportion of observed variation remained unaccounted for. This suggests that more work is needed to understand and to develop metrics which can measure additional factors which underlie peoples’ motivations to engage with nature. The framework is applicable to other types of ecosystem service, and may also be useful for exploring relational values.

The importance of Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES) to human wellbeing is widely recognised. However, quantifying these non-material benefits is challenging and consequently they are often not assessed. Mapping approaches are increasingly being used to understand the spatial distribution of different CES and how this relates to landscape characteristics. This study uses an online Public Participation Geographic Information System (PPGIS) to elicit information on outdoor locations important to respondents in Wiltshire, a dynamic lowland landscape in southern England. We analysed these locations in a GIS with spatial datasets representing potential influential factors, including protected areas, land use, landform, and accessibility. We assess these characteristics at different spatial and visual scales for different types of cultural engagement. We find that areas that are accessible, near to urban centres, with larger views, and a high diversity of protected habitats, are important for the delivery of CES. Other characteristics including a larger area of woodland and the presence of sites of historic interest in the surrounding landscape were also influential. These findings have implications for land-use planning and the management of ecosystems, by demonstrating the benefits of high quality ecological sites near to towns. The importance of maintaining and restoring landscape features, such as woodlands, to enhance the delivery of CES were also highlighted. [Abstract copyright: Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.]

The importance of Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES) to human wellbeing is widely recognised. However, quantifying these non-material benefits is challenging and consequently they are often not assessed. Mapping approaches are increasingly being used to understand the spatial distribution of different CES and how this relates to landscape characteristics. This study uses an online Public Participation Geographic Information System (PPGIS) to elicit information on outdoor locations important to respondents in Wiltshire, a dynamic lowland landscape in southern England. We analysed these locations in a GIS with spatial datasets representing potential influential factors, including protected areas, land use, landform, and accessibility. We assess these characteristics at different spatial and visual scales for different types of cultural engagement. We find that areas that are accessible, near to urban centres, with larger views, and a high diversity of protected habitats, are important for the delivery of CES. Other characteristics including a larger area of woodland and the presence of sites of historic interest in the surrounding landscape were also influential. These findings have implications for land-use planning and the management of ecosystems, by demonstrating the benefits of high quality ecological sites near to towns. The importance of maintaining and restoring landscape features, such as woodlands, to enhance the delivery of CES were also highlighted. [Abstract copyright: Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.]