Divergent or convergent? Prioritization and spatial representation of ecosystem services as perceived by conservation professionals and local leaders

Application of the ecosystem services (ES) concept in policy and decision-making is one of the prime endeavors in conservation and land use planning. Previous studies call for a meaningful inclusion of different stakeholders in decision-making processes. One of the solutions that emerged to address these two aspirations is participatory mapping of ES. It enables the inclusion of different perspectives, knowledge, needs, or values into decision-making and has already been applied in various contexts. However, little is known about the similarities and differences between stakeholder groups reflecting on the same specific area. This study aimed to identify and explore differences in the conceptualization and application of the ES concept by two groups of stakeholders – experts and local leaders. The study was conducted in five locations in Poland and included 100 participants overall. At each site, we organized two workshops. One included nature conservation and spatial planning professionals, and the other non-professional local leaders. The results exhibit a new perspective on the comprehending of the ES by conservation and spatial planning stakeholders. The study unveils that the ES conceptualization and reasoning behind their prioritization tend to be convergent for both studied groups. Also the three approaches to mapping ES provisioning areas that we identified were used parallelly by both studied groups. The extent to which the resulting maps overlap depends on respondents’ interpretation of a mapped ES and the approach to mapping taken by a particular group. Both conservation professionals and local leaders included facts and values when applying the ES concept in practice.