A desert where culture blossoms: The use of cultural ecosystem services in kibbutzim of the southern Arava

This paper aims at assessing the monetary value of four cultural ecosystem services (CES): tourism and recreation, aesthetic information, inspiration for art and education. These four cultural services were found to be the most significant for the three observed Kibbutz A, Kibbutz B and Kibbutz C in the Southern Arava. Secondly, acknowledging future development in the region through the construction of a new airport, this paper seeks to point out the potential of the CES approach for future sustainable planning. This study will hence serve to increase the awareness of CES for the purpose of decision-making and future business planning in the area. The results show that CES play a prominent role and generates a significant part of the income of kibbutzim in the area. Even though the kibbutzim have similar contexts and resources, they seem to specialize in certain services due to their history and business strategy. In this sense, the three kibbutzim make use of  CES in a complementary way. This should be further developed through a common strategy, taking into account the future economic development of the area through a new airport. A seemingly positive relationship between the diversity of CES used and the income generated seems to indicate an interconnection between different CES and the potentials of using them together. This paper therefore underlines the importance for future planning to consider these findings and develop methodology for further ecosystem services assessments.

מאת: F. Laurent, A. Morris, E. Groner
מילות מפתח: Cultural ecosystem services, Tourism, Kibbutz, Monetary valuation, Education
תאריך פרסום:ספטמבר, 2017
מהדורה: 9 (3)
עמודים: 113-127
סוג מאמר: מאמר מחקר
קישור להורדה:   Laurent3.pdf