"The Mangrove is Like a Friend": Local Perspectives of Mangrove Cultural Ecosystem Services Among Mangrove Users in Northern Ecuador

Cultural ecosystem services (CES) contribute to people's physical, emotional, and mental well-being. CES research has significantly increased in recent years. However, most studies focused on the Global North, and most publications, primarily focused on recreation, (eco)tourism, and aesthetic values. Even fewer studies focus on the gendered dimensions of CES. I address these research gaps by investigating local perspectives of CES provided mangrove forests in northern Ecuador to identify how mangrove ecosystems support local well-being. I conducted ethnographic research to capture an inventory of mangrove CES through in-depth interviews with 40 local mangrove users over 14 weeks in Bolívar, a mangrove-dependent community in Esmeraldas province, Ecuador. The findings show that mangrove users assign profound cultural importance and personal attachments to the mangrove ecosystem. They describe a reciprocal relationship with the ecosystem where mangroves provide numerous "services" for the community, and mangrove users reciprocate with protection and caregiving. The findings also show that women have a higher appreciation of mangrove CES and are more socially, culturally, and emotionally connected to the mangrove ecosystem than men. I argue that researchers can employ ethnographic research methods to identify a more extensive range of CES, particularly non-material dimensions of ecosystem services often undervalued or overlooked in traditional economic valuation assessments. Such approaches can help develop management strategies that are environmentally and socially just and promote environmental decision-making that minimizes unintended consequences imposed on human populations that rely on ecosystems for their livelihoods and cultural survival.