Preliminary assessment of cultural ecosystem services potential in the mountain protected area based on interviewing (Ust-Koksinsky district and the Katunsky biosphere reserve (Altai Republic) as the case study area)
Cultural ecosystem services (CES) are defined as the nonmaterial benefits that people obtain from ecosystems. CES is one of the four pillars comprising common ecosystem services classifications. They form an important part of tourism amenities. The study of CES has been considered one of the most difficult and least accomplished tasks in ecosystem services research. Despite growing research over the last decade, CES assessment still remains arbitrary. They are difficult to quantify in biophysical assessments, and their economic evaluation is generally subject to controversy. CES require very different measures to those generally used by biophysical scientists. Spatially explicit assessments of CES can be broadly divided into two approaches: user-dependent subjectivist approaches and user-independent formal assessments. Studies which provide information about the CES offered by particular ecosystems or regions are more usually based on the collection of qualitative data from people who use, or visit, those areas. Mountain regions meet an increasing demand for pleasant landscapes, offering many CES to both their residents and tourists. Natural protected areas in the mountains provide society with a rich flow of ecosystem-related benefits, including CES. The work presented in this paper aims to provide a framework for assessment of CES in Ust-Koksinsky District (Altai Republic), and it is part of a larger effort to set up tools and methods for the spatially explicit evaluation of ecosystem services in Altai mountains. The present study goal is to assess full range of CES as perceived by local people. The research is conducted in the Altai Republic, which has a well developed tourism industry based on the cultural landscape and nature attractions. It was performed in four villages within the Ust-Koksinsky District near Katunskiy Biosphere Reserve. The results stem from interviews with 92 persons that were analyzed with statistical techniques. Statistical analysis was employed to identify the preference of respondents for landscape features. Among the nonmaterial benefits provided to people by landscapes, respondents most often called air quality (41 %), aesthetic value (38 %) and recreation (30 %). Multinsky Lakes and Mount Belukha are the most interesting sites to tourists. The results show that respondents relate diverse CES and multiple local-level sites to reserve. We conclude that CES assessments should be pushed ahead as indispensable elements in the management and protection of mountain landscapes. Spatially explicit information on CES that incorporates the differentiated perceptions of local populations provides a rich basis for the development of sustainable land management strategies.