What does this research mean for the field?

Visiting young people predominantly value mountain ecosystems for their intrinsic features and relational connections, while underrepresenting their instrumental ecological and societal functions. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

Investigate how visiting adolescents perceive and articulate the plural values of mountain ecosystems using the Nature Futures Framework.

August 30, 2026Ecosystem ServicesOpen Access

Young people's diverse perceptions of mountain ecosystems: Making nature's values visible

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Authors

JTJohanna Trummer LWLucas Weinberg NLNina Liebhaber

Discussion

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Overview

Participatory study reveals prioritization of intrinsic and relational values over instrumental services in youth, suggesting limited recognition of wider ecosystem functions.

Key Points

Investigate how visiting adolescents perceive and articulate the plural values of mountain ecosystems using the Nature Futures Framework.
Conducted a participatory study with 68 visiting adolescents (aged 14–16 years) in the Gaisberg Valley, Austria.
Collected 464 participant photographs accompanied by short reflective narratives detailing personal perceptions of nature.
Qualitatively coded and synthesized narratives to map the distribution of intrinsic, relational, and instrumental values under the Nature Futures Framework.
Adolescents predominantly emphasized intrinsic values (such as glaciers and geomorphological structures) alongside relational values rooted in personal memories and emotional associations.
Instrumental values—including vital ecological provisions such as regional freshwater supplies and renewable energy generation—were comparatively underrepresented.
Value distributions indicate that visiting youth prioritize aesthetic uniqueness and personal attachment over the broader societal functions that sustain lowland human populations.

Cite This Study

Trummer et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a93f00a6c1a8fb52e79c008 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2026.101904

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August 30, 2026Ecosystem ServicesOpen Access

Young people's diverse perceptions of mountain ecosystems: Making nature's values visible

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Authors

JTJohanna Trummer LWLucas Weinberg NLNina Liebhaber

Discussion

Member takes

Overview

Participatory study reveals prioritization of intrinsic and relational values over instrumental services in youth, suggesting limited recognition of wider ecosystem functions.

Key Points

Investigate how visiting adolescents perceive and articulate the plural values of mountain ecosystems using the Nature Futures Framework.
Conducted a participatory study with 68 visiting adolescents (aged 14–16 years) in the Gaisberg Valley, Austria.
Collected 464 participant photographs accompanied by short reflective narratives detailing personal perceptions of nature.
Qualitatively coded and synthesized narratives to map the distribution of intrinsic, relational, and instrumental values under the Nature Futures Framework.
Adolescents predominantly emphasized intrinsic values (such as glaciers and geomorphological structures) alongside relational values rooted in personal memories and emotional associations.
Instrumental values—including vital ecological provisions such as regional freshwater supplies and renewable energy generation—were comparatively underrepresented.
Value distributions indicate that visiting youth prioritize aesthetic uniqueness and personal attachment over the broader societal functions that sustain lowland human populations.

Cite This Study

Trummer et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a93f00a6c1a8fb52e79c008 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2026.101904

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