Cultural Ecosystem Services Concept and Forest Resources of Indian Cities: A Critical Review

Conservation of natural resources seeks the proper use of nature, while preservation seeks protection of nature from abuse. Both strategies can work only if the value of nature’s precious resources is understood by masses. In recent decades, concerns have arisen about the valuation of forest areas specially those which are falling within the limits of metropolitan cities of the world. ‘Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES)’ concept, a subcategory of the broader term ‘Ecosystem Services (ES)’ is gaining importance in scientific literature due to the realization of their significant contribution towards human health and well-being. The valuation studies in ecosystem services discourse have been long dominated by ecologists and economists. However, the dearth of literature on social-perception of forest ecosystems, is not only limiting to CES research but also to effective landscape planning, management and decision-making to conserve this important natural resource in cities. This paper critically analyses the importance of CES concept for their conceptualization and classification for place-based values to be used in wider assessment processes. Our aim is to provide an overview of CES evaluation methods and highlight challenges faced during the process of assessment. Based on the conceptual review, we initiate a discussion of requirement of in-depth studies to be conducted from socio-ecological perspective and their integration in policy support tools for urban planning in Indian context.