Symbolic entities in the European Alps: Perception and use of a cultural ecosystem service

Abstract The Alps are a biodiversity hotspot in Europe and are home to many endemic species. Some of these species have a symbolic meaning for people and are an integral part of the Alpine culture. The characteristics and relevance of these symbolic uses are rarely explored from an ecosystem service perspective. As the perception of symbols is prone to individuality and subjectivity, this ecosystem service is difficult to assess. Therefore, we assessed which Alpine species are perceived as symbolic through a multilingual questionnaire, and then spatially mapped their actual use as symbols. We focused on two complementary indicators: (1) the cultural identity of the local population as represented in emblems/coats of arms and (2) the importance of symbols for the tourism sector represented in hotel names. The most commonly mentioned species were the Alpine ibex (42% of the respondents), chamois (17%), marmot (12%), golden eagle (10%), edelweiss (40%), gentian (15%), pine tree (10%) and alpenrose (10%). These species occurred in 12% of the investigated municipality emblems and in hotel names in 470 municipalities (2.8%) throughout the Alps. Our results illustrate the relevance of this currently neglected ecosystem service and delineate a feasible methodology to assess this service in other regions.