The Cultural Ecosystem Services From ASEAN Region Perspectives

Cultural Ecosystem Services: An Introduction

The concept of ecosystem services has a long history, dating to at least the time of Plato. It has since gained attention in economics and ecology research and conservation applications. Recently, it has gained an increased attention beyond ecology and economics, and becoming increasingly influential in environmental research and decision-making. The advantages and benefits the organisms derive from ecosystem are generally known as ecosystem services. In fact, the process of natural ecosystem and ecosystem services are two sides of the coin, ecosystem. From an anthropological angle, ecosystem services help for successful survival of mankind on this Earth by maintaining biodiversity of micro and macro utilitarian goods and values. Accordingly, “Ecosystem goods (such as food) and services (such as waste assimilation) represent the benefits human populations derive, directly or indirectly, from ecosystem function”. Valuing natural resources is a complex, spatial and institutional cross-scale problem. Cultural ecosystem service (CES) are generally described as the “non-material benefits people obtain from ecosystems through spiritual enrichment, cognitive development, reflection, recreation, and aesthetic experiences”. CES are among the most highly recognized and directly perceived by people, and they may have the most direct links with wellbeing). A significant proportion of CES research has been focused on tourism and recreation in industrialized economies, where the importance of CES is expected to grow. But research has also shown that CES are essential for cultural identity and even survival among many traditional communities, where comparatively little research is focused. Table 1 shows the division, group, class and examples for CES (Ecosystem and human well-being, 2005).

So many studies have been conducted using the CES framework prepared by The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, but the problem is epistemologically the framework only touch on the objectivity and abandons the subjective parts of the CES. This study utterly try to investigate whether the measurement for CES that been used from the beginning till now is sufficient with bringing the idea how CES helped the society forming a resilient generation for ASEAN region.