Most protected areas are managed based on objectives related to scientific ecological knowledge of species and ecosystems. However, a core principle of sustainability science is that understanding and including local ecological knowledge, perceptions of ecosystem service provision and landscape vulnerability will improve sustainability and resilience of social-ecological systems. Here, we take up these assumptions in the context of protected areas to provide insight on the effectiveness of nature protection goals, particularly in highly human-influenced landscapes. We examined how residents’ ecological knowledge systems, comprised of both local and scientific, mediated the relationship between their characteristics and a set of variables that represented perceptions of ecosystem services, landscape change, human-nature relationships, and impacts. We administered a face-to-face survey to local residents in the Sierra de Guadarrama protected areas, Spain. We used bi- and multi-variate analysis, including partial least squares path modeling to test our hypotheses. Ecological knowledge systems were highly correlated and were instrumental in predicting perceptions of water-related ecosystem services, landscape change, increasing outdoors activities, and human-nature relationships. Engagement with nature, socio-demographics, trip characteristics, and a rural–urban gradient explained a high degree of variation in ecological knowledge. Bundles of perceived ecosystem services and impacts, in relation to ecological knowledge, emerged as social representation on how residents relate to, understand, and perceive landscapes. Our findings provide insight into the interactions between ecological knowledge systems and their role in shaping perceptions of local communities about protected areas. These results are expected to inform protected area management and landscape sustainability.

中文翻译：

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科学和地方生态知识，塑造对保护区和相关生态系统服务的看法

大多数保护区是根据与物种和生态系统的科学生态知识相关的目标进行管理的。然而，可持续性科学的一个核心原则是理解并纳入当地生态知识、对生态系统服务提供和景观脆弱性的看法将提高社会生态系统的可持续性和恢复力。在这里，我们在保护区的背景下采用这些假设，以深入了解自然保护目标的有效性，特别是在高度受人类影响的景观中。我们研究了由当地和科学组成的居民生态知识系统如何调节他们的特征与一组变量之间的关系，这些变量代表对生态系统服务、景观变化、人与自然关系和影响的看法。我们对西班牙 Sierra de Guadarrama 保护区的当地居民进行了面对面调查。我们使用双变量和多变量分析，包括偏最小二乘路径建模来测试我们的假设。生态知识系统高度相关，有助于预测对与水相关的生态系统服务、景观变化、户外活动增加以及人与自然关系的看法。与自然、社会人口统计学、旅行特征和城乡梯度的接触解释了生态知识的高度差异。与生态知识相关的感知生态系统服务和影响的捆绑，作为居民如何关联、理解和感知景观的社会表征而出现。我们的研究结果深入了解生态知识系统之间的相互作用及其在塑造当地社区对保护区的看法方面的作用。预计这些结果将为保护区管理和景观可持续性提供信息。