The role of pondscapes in supporting identities

Date

2026-01-01

Author

Benejam, Lluís
Perrin, Jacques-Aristide
Blicharska, Malgorzata
Brucet, Sandra
Başoğlu, Deniz
Beklioğlu, Meryem
Boissezon, Aurelie
Boix, Dani
Colina, Maite
Davidson, Thomas Alexander
Lemmens, Pieter
Sancha, Alejandro López-de
Martin, Beatriz
Meerhoff, Mariana
Mehner, Thomas
Nicolet, Pascale
Oertli, Beat
Passadore-Romero, Constanza
Patil, Sopan D.
Lindoso, Diego P.
Quintana, Xavier D.
Rashidi, Parinaz
Ribas, Anna
Robin, Joël

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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This study investigates how pondscapes, networks of ponds, and their surrounding environments contribute to supporting identities across diverse cultural contexts. Supporting identities is a non-material Nature’s Contribution to People referring to people’s sense of place, belonging and connection to nature. We draw on data on landscape features from 17 pondscapes across eight countries in Europe and South America, along with over 700 questionnaire responses. We assessed whether certain landscape features are associated with the perceived delivery of supporting identities and examined how personal characteristics, individual perspectives, and engagement in different activities shape people’s perceptions. Our findings indicate that the perceived delivery of supporting identities emerges from a combination of social and ecological factors rather than from landscape features alone. Although pondscape characteristics showed weak direct effects, pondscapes in warmer climates and with a higher proportion of natural land cover might be associated with a stronger sense of identity. In addition, a strong personal connection to nature and engagement in nature-based activities (wildlife watching, picnicking, hunting), were key pathways shaping perceptions, highlighting that identity-related benefits are context dependent and socially mediated. By integrating ecological and social dimensions, our study highlights the importance of incorporating non-material values into conservation and landscape management strategies.

Subject Keywords

Cultural ecosystem services, Nature’s contributions to people, Place attachment, Sense of place

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/118698

Collections

Department of Biology, Article