Local perceptions of tropical forest ecosystem services, insights from Africa

Human culture has an important influence on how forests are utilised, yet its influence on ecosystem service (ES) use and valuation remains underexplored. During the past 5 years, we have investigated how livelihood strategy (farmers, pastoralists, hunter-gatherers) and ethnicity affect local peoples’ perceptions of forest ES in tropical Africa, relating their views to instrumental, relational and intrinsic values of Nature. I will present our findings from different socio-ecological contexts in West, Central and East Africa, and also introduce unpublished data on a recent survey carried out with ‘forest experts’ (scientists and practitioners working in some of these forests).