Biophysical and Perceived Multifunctionality in an Agricultural-Wetland System: Hotspots, Similarities and Risk Perceptions.

CONTEXT: Enhancing our understanding of multifunctionality in human-shaped landscapes, such as agricultural-wetland systems, requires an interdisciplinary approach that integrates both natural biophysical data with social dimensions.

OBJECTIVES

This study presents an interdisciplinary and spatially explicit approach that combines stakeholder-based mapping, biophysical indicators, and risk perception analysis to assess landscape multifunctionality.

METHODS

The applied framework evaluates both perceived and biophysical ecosystem services (ESs) to 32 municipalities surrounding the Villafáfila wetland (Spain). This was performed by estimating the Multiple Ecosystem Services Landscape Index (MESLI), diversity metrics, and similarity analysis to identify synergies, trade-offs, and imbalances in ESs supply and demand.

RESULTS

Results show that wetland-proximate municipalities exhibit higher multifunctionality, driven by cultural and support services often overlooked in expert-based assessments. A strong correlation between multifunctionality and perceived risks suggests that socially valued landscapes face greater socio-environmental vulnerabilities, such as depopulation, biodiversity loss, and agricultural intensification. This highlights the need to integrate local knowledge and values in landscape planning. Our methodology is rapid, cost-effective, and transferable to other rural landscapes, offering a replicable tool for identifying multifunctionality hotspots and priority areas for conservation or adaptive management. By visualizing spatial mismatches between ESs supply and demand, it informs policies that aim to balance ecological performance with social relevance.

CONCLUSIONS

This work contributes to bridging the gap between ecological assessment and sociocultural valuation, reinforcing the importance of interdisciplinary landscape governance. The integration of risk perception enhances our understanding of how communities engage with landscape change and reinforces the value of incorporating diverse perspectives into ecosystem service frameworks.