Ecosystem services values and motivations in the Chilean Atacama region

Semi-arid and arid zones have been largely overlooked in ecosystem services (ES) research. Here we reveal the diversity of ES in the Huasco River Basin (Atacama Region, Chile) and conduct a non-economic valuation based on semi-structured interviews (n = 201). We identified the ES considered most important by local residents and classified the arguments they used to justify their importance into three broad value types (intrinsic, instrumental and relational). We further examined how these value types relate to respondents’ general motivations. Water for agriculture emerged as the most frequently mentioned benefit, followed by recreation and food from traditional farming systems. Cultural ES such as sense of place and identity with the territory were also highly valued highly. Respondents articulated intrinsic instrumental and relational arguments when explaining why these ES matter to them. Respondents who scored higher on environmental justice motivation expressed significantly more relational arguments. Our pluralistic valuation approach highlights opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration between researchers and local communities in complex, conflict-prone socio-ecological systems.