Identification and prioritisation of ecosystem services based on the socio-economic perspectives of local people in a trans-Himalayan region of Ladakh, India

Mountain ecosystems provide numerous services vital for the existence of humankind globally. The present study was conducted in the Ladakh region of India to evaluate the socio-cultural values of the ecosystem services provided by the mountainous region. Questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions were used for data collection. It was observed that the respondents identified provisioning and cultural services easily compared to regulating and supporting services. Among services, fresh water and grazing services were valued 5-rating score on a Likert scale of 1–5 by more than 90% of respondents. Likewise, 80% of respondents have a 5-rating score for water retention and regulation, water purification, aesthetic and recreation and ecotourism services. A similar result was observed when the priority of ecosystem services for villagers was discussed through focus group discussions. All respondents viewed freshwater, grazing, and aesthetic services as priority ecosystem services, whereas recreation and ecotourism were prioritised in four villages, water retention and regulation, and water purification in two villages. Using bivariate correlation, the study of interactions among ecosystem services (between services of the same category) demonstrated strong positive to moderate negative correlations. Similarly, the results of the Kruskal-Wallis test indicate that socio-economic factors, including gender, income, and education, have a notable impact (p < 0.05) on most of the services. This suggests that respondents' socio-economic backgrounds influence the values assigned to the services. However, the decline of crucial ecosystem services over the last two decades, as highlighted by participants in the in-depth interviews, raises alarm. Integrating socio-cultural values of ecosystem services while formulating any regional developmental policy could empower the policy-makers to take more informed, eco-friendly actions.