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Cultural Ecosystem Services across theSouth Atlantic: St Helena, FalklandIslands and Ascension

Nature’s Benefits: Natural Capital in the South Atlantic

12 March 2019

Dimitrios Bormpoudakis, Joana Viana-Canelas,Robert Fish, University of Kent, Canterbury

Dennis Leo, Amy Dutton, Sheena Isaac, St HelenaNational Trust, Jamestown

Ness Smith, Amy Guest, South AtlanticEnvironmental Research Institute, Stanley

Presentation outline

‒ Our remit as part of the NCA

‒ What are Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES)?

‒ Methodology

‐ Conceptual framework

‐ Survey

‒ Key results: CES in the South Atlantic

‒ Discussion and next steps

Remit as part of the NCA

Assess and map Cultural EcosystemServices (CES) in the islands of theSouth Atlantic (Falkland Islands, StHelena, Ascension and Tristan DaCuhna)

CES and natural capital

‒ The “contributions that ecosystems make to human well-being in

terms of the identities they help frame, the experiences they help

enable and the capabilities they help equip” (Fish et al. 2016)

‒ CES are about understanding of the many ways people interpret

and affiliate with the natural environment, and assign it value

‒ CES assessments draw attention to the study of shared values

around natural assets

Global and national context

‒ Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005)

‒ The Economics of Ecosystem and Biodiversity (2010 and ongoing)

‒ Intergovernmental Panel for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (2012 – ongoing)

‒ UK National Ecosystem Assessment (2011) and follow-on (2014)

Methodology: CES Framework

1 2

3

Methodology: survey

‒ The different ways people in the islands value nature

‒ Activities and practices in nature

‒ Benefits people in the islands derive from being outdoors (experiences, subjective well-being)

‒ How different social groups value the environment in the South Atlantic, e.g. Islanders versus residents born abroad

‒ Key element: tasks that ask the respondents to point the places they value on maps.

Results: survey

St HelenaFalkland Islands

Ascension

MethodFace-to-face(Dennis Leo)

Mail & face-to-face

Face-to-face(Joana Viana-

Canelas)

Respondents (population)

210 (4,534)

155(3,200)

70 (806)

St Helenians 169 3 27

Mapping GIS By name By name/GIS

Qualities of the environment

Falkland Islands

Ascension

St Helena

Iconic or ‘essential’ spaces

diana's peak

sandy bayblue point

lemon valleyblue hill

flagstafflot's wife's pondsthe ocean

casons forestsouth west point

heart-shaped waterfall

high hill

man and horse

peak dale

coast

fairylandprosperous bay

great stone tophigh knoll fort

lot's wife

sandy bay barn

the barn

thompson's wood

high peak

millennium forest

botley's lay

jamestownsandy bay beach

the wharf

english bay

green mountaindevil's ashpit

green mountain – dew pond

long beach

confortless cove

letterboxboatswain bird island

green mountain – red lion

north east bay

green mountain – elliot's pathgreen mountain – the peak

green mountain – walks

nasa site

sister's peak & daly's crags

weather post

wideawake fairs

green mountain – national park

georgetown

green mountain – garden cottage

mars baypierhead

Which places represent the essence of the natural

environment?

‘Essential’ spaces – St Helena

“…amazing 360 degree views, endemic flora and fauna.”

“The home to immense amounts of endemics - and provides a stunning walk with stunning views.”

“Diana's Peak - walk through so many 'worlds‘.”

“…being quite an extensive hike it allows you to embrace your surroundings that change from jaw-droppingly beautiful, to barren and treacherous to then end in complete serenity when swimming in the naturally made ponds and fishing from the exterior walls/rocks.”

Value: spaces, practices & experiences

“…amazing 360 degree views, endemic flora and fauna.”

“The home to immense amounts of endemics - and provides a stunning walk with stunning views.”

“Diana's Peak - walk through so many 'worlds‘.”

“…being quite an extensive hike it allows you to embrace your surroundings that change from jaw-dropping beautiful, to barren and treacherous to then end in complete serenity when swimming in the naturally made ponds and fishing from the exterior walls/rocks.”

Spaces:Ponds, barren, treacherous, endemic flora &fauna, many ‘worlds’ (diverse), natural, rocks

Practices:walking, viewing the landscape, contemplation,swimming, hiking, fishing

Experiences, feelingSerenity, stunning, amazing, jaw-dropping

Practices: Outdoors leisure

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

45.0%

50.0%

>Everyday Most days <Most weeks

St Helena Falkland Islands Ascension Island

>90% carry out leisure activities outdoors

Practices: leisure activities (SH)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

%

Increasing differences

0102030405060708090

100

%

St Helena Falkland Islands Ascension Island

Practices: leisure activities

St Helenians across the islands

0102030405060708090

100

%

St Helena (169) Ascension Island (35)

Leisure practices (SH): across society

0102030405060708090

100

%

Male (127) Female (73)

0102030405060708090

100

%

St Helenian (169) Non-St Helenian (37)

Origin Gender

Origin Gender

Horse pasture

Leisure spaces SH

Practices: outdoors work

0.00%

5.00%

10.00%

15.00%

20.00%

25.00%

30.00%

35.00%

40.00%

Every day Most days Quite often Very rarely Never Notapplicable

St Helena Falkland Islands Ascension Island

Practices: work activities

0

5

10

15

20

25

%

St Helena Falkland Islands

Work practices (SH): across society

Age Gender

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

%

Male (127) Female (73)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

%

16-34 (88) 35-65+ (119)

Work spaces (SH)

Benefits: Experiences

Falkland Islands Ascension

ExperiencesWhile WORKING

outside I feel:

Being outdoors

for LEISURE I

feel:

While WORKING

outside I feel:

Being outdoors

for LEISURE I

feel:

Tranquillity, inner

peace &

contentment

72% 88% 66% 92%

Freedom, escape

& independence70% 86% 80% 95%

Exhilaration,

excitement &

stimulation

64% 75% 70% 89%

Achievement,

accomplishment &

purpose

75% 75% 86% 81%

Belonging &

attachment70% 81% 74% 80%

Benefits: subjective well-being (SH)

How satisfied are you with life nowadays?

Do you feel what you do in your life is worthwhile?

How happy did you feel yesterday?

How anxious did you feel yesterday?

Working outside +

Leisure outside + +

Number of leisureactivities

+

Gender (female) +

Age (16-24) -

Education (higher) - (vocational)

Employment type

*Multivariate ordinal regression

Benefits: Subjective well-being (FI)How satisfied are you with life nowadays?

Do you feel what you do in your life is worthwhile?

How happy did you feel yesterday?

How anxious did you feel yesterday?

Working outside +

Leisure outside + +

Number of leisureactivities

Gender (female)

Age (16-24) + - (35-44) + (25-34)

Education (higher) - (vocational) -

Employment type (student)

+ (FT, self

employed)

- (retired) - (FT, self

employed)

*Multivariate ordinal regression

Subjective well-being (FI)

Work outside (frequency) How satisfied are you with

your life? (1 – 10; mean)

All the time 8.9

Every day 8.7

Most days 8.3

Quite Often 8.2

Very rarely 7.4

Never 7.4

NA (retired, unemployed) 7.7

Falkland Islands

Traveller’s Hill

Devil's Ashpit

Letterbox

Key outputs 1

‒ Documented the qualities of the environment people in the islands value

‒ Mapped the environmental places/spaces that are important for a range of activities

‒ Recorded spatial and temporal patterns of outdoors practices

‒ Assessed the benefits of natural capital for the people in the islands

Key outputs 2

‒ Documented how leisure and work outdoors are key features of the lives of the people in the islands

‒ Illuminated clear benefits in terms of experiences gained and subjective well-being

‒ Indicated that “non-natural” areas are very important (e.g. farmland, settlements, parks and gardens, homes)

‒ Explored social difference and how it affects people-environment relations

Importance

‒ First CES study that attempts to link all islands of the South Atlantic

‒ Initial step in creating a baseline for assessing future changes

‒ Opportunity to acknowledge the residents of the islands within discussions of the environment

‒ Key dataset for future cross-sector decision making

Next steps

Near-term: ‒ Finalise analysis of the islands (including Tristan Da Cuhna)

‒ Publish scientific articles

Mid-term: ‒ Investigate qualities of the environment associated with particular places, practices and benefits

‒ Explore the St Helenian dimension

Long-term: ‒ Help inform terrestrial, coastal, marine and health planning

‒ Historical studies of the relationship between South Atlantic cultures and the environment

‒ Focus on the marine environment

‒ Return to record how socio-economic changes are reflected into Islanders’ relationship to the environment

SJ Wooltorton (1988)

Acknowledgments

‒ Interviewees and respondents in St Helena, Falkland Islands, Ascension and Tristan Da Cuhna

‒ SAERI & JNCC staff

‒ Our hosts and associates in St Helena, Falkland Islands and Ascension

Thank you to our funders