Perceptions of the services provided by pond fish farming in Lorraine (France)

This article discusses a study of the perceptions of ecosystem services in pond fish farming in the Lorraine region, one of the principal pond fish farming regions in France. In total, 668 people were surveyed from four types of population: fish farmers, economic and institutional stakeholders, pond users and inhabitants of villages located close to the ponds. A typology of perceptions was established using a principal component analysis associated with an ascending hierarchical ranking. It shows differentiated perceptions of the categories of ecosystem services by population type. Age and education affect these perceptions. In addition, econometric modeling (a multinomial logit model) showed the importance of regulating and supporting systems for fish farmers, stakeholders and pond users. The preferences of local residents are more evenly spread across service categories, although it may be noted that educational level tends to increase the choice of supporting and regulating services.