Oral Abstract Details

Author(s):
Tania Lopez Marrero

Affiliation:
Institute of Caribbean Studies - University of Puerto Rico

Presentation Type:
Oral

Topic Area:
Human influences on ecosystems (direct and indirect stressors)

Abstract Text:
Conservation literature increasingly emphasizes the importance of including different stakeholders for developing initiatives and actions that support ecosystem services. A first step towards developing such efforts and actions requires knowing stakeholder understanding of ecosystem services and drivers of ecosystem change. This study describes stakeholder understanding of the negative drivers influencing the ecosystem services provided by El Yunque National Forest (EYNF) in Puerto Rico. Four groups of stake holders took part in this study: scientists, forest managers, municipal planners, and community leaders. Participatory listing and sketch mapping techniques were used to elicit participant’s understanding of negative drivers of ecosystem and ecosystem services change, along with the spatial occurrence of these drivers. The analysis showed that urban expansion in the periphery of the forest was identified by all groups as the principal driver negatively impacting ecosystem and ecosystem services. This agreement among stakeholders provides a venue to increase awareness of the impact of urban expansion on forest ecosystem services and to start dialogue towards developing actions to minimize such impacts. In terms of the spatial distribution of urban/built up expansion, participants rightly identified areas of high urban and built-up expansion, mostly those occurring in the northern portion of the forest. However, there is an incomplete knowledge of the process as it occurs in other areas in the periphery of EYNF. This could affect intervention, policy, and decision making regarding land use and cover around EYNF.