摘要：How the concept of value is defined within ecosystem services operates as a filter through whichimportant ecosystem features are identified by the specific benefits they provide to society andindividuals. This value narrative reflects intrinsic and instrumental concepts which have beenchallenged by the Nature’s Contributions to People approach in additionally highlighting theimportance of relational values, stemming from socio-cultural and ethical dimensions of humanrelationships with nature and ecosystems. Perceived as important for the interface betweenecosystems and society, relational values are yet to be operationalised in ecosystem assessmentprocesses. This study addresses how this can be done by using a mixed-method approach encompassing quantitative and qualitative data and methodologies. Our study focuses on how schoolchildren aged 10–12 years in Sweden (n = 403) value forest ecosystem services, and further hints atthe contextual factors that mediate their value perception. Children are an important demographicfor reasons of intergenerational equity, and because of the temporal inertia of intensively managedforest ecosystems in Sweden. Our results show that students display complex notions of valueencompassing intrinsic, instrumental and relational values alike, highlighting the importance ofa broader discussion on the valuation of ecosystems through mixed methods approaches.
