TY - JOUR

T1 - Local peoples' values and disvalues in and around an Indian protected area undergoing urbanization

AU - Plieninger, Tobias

AU - Thapa, Pramila

AU - Fagerholm, Nora

AU - Basu, Sukanya

AU - Bhaskar, Dhanya

AU - Nagendra, Harini

AU - Raymond, Christopher M.

AU - Torralba, Mario

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s), 2025.

PY - 2025

Y1 - 2025

N2 - Summary Urbanization has become a key pressure on many of the world's protected areas. This study investigates how local communities perceive landscape values and disvalues in and around Bannerghatta National Park (near Bengaluru, India), which is experiencing high rates of urban development at its peripheries. Using combined free-listing and Public Participation Geographic Information Systems (PPGIS) mapping, we surveyed 489 residents from 12 villages to elicit both landscape values and disvalues. Respondents mapped values such as biodiversity, fertile land and clean air, while disvalues focused on human-wildlife conflicts. Despite persistent conflicts and urbanization pressures, residents valued the National Park for its multiple landscape values. Both values and disvalues were concentrated around village areas. We find that socio-demographic factors - especially caste, land ownership and work in agriculture - significantly influenced perceptions. Specifically, marginalized caste members and landless individuals reported more disvalues, while landowners and farmers noted more values. Our study emphasizes the need to consider both landscape values and disvalues for balanced decision-making in protected areas. It also highlights the potential of free-listing to identify the well-being aspects that matter most for people, which points to the importance of agricultural uses in and around protected areas undergoing urbanization.

AB - Summary Urbanization has become a key pressure on many of the world's protected areas. This study investigates how local communities perceive landscape values and disvalues in and around Bannerghatta National Park (near Bengaluru, India), which is experiencing high rates of urban development at its peripheries. Using combined free-listing and Public Participation Geographic Information Systems (PPGIS) mapping, we surveyed 489 residents from 12 villages to elicit both landscape values and disvalues. Respondents mapped values such as biodiversity, fertile land and clean air, while disvalues focused on human-wildlife conflicts. Despite persistent conflicts and urbanization pressures, residents valued the National Park for its multiple landscape values. Both values and disvalues were concentrated around village areas. We find that socio-demographic factors - especially caste, land ownership and work in agriculture - significantly influenced perceptions. Specifically, marginalized caste members and landless individuals reported more disvalues, while landowners and farmers noted more values. Our study emphasizes the need to consider both landscape values and disvalues for balanced decision-making in protected areas. It also highlights the potential of free-listing to identify the well-being aspects that matter most for people, which points to the importance of agricultural uses in and around protected areas undergoing urbanization.

KW - Conservation conflicts

KW - free-listing

KW - India

KW - protected areas

KW - Public Participation Geographic Information Systems (PPGIS)

KW - urbanization

KW - Environmental Governance

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105021347846&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1017/S0376892925100234

DO - 10.1017/S0376892925100234

M3 - Journal articles

AN - SCOPUS:105021347846

JO - Environmental Conservation

JF - Environmental Conservation

SN - 0376-8929

ER -