Combining discourses and maps to grasp nature perceptions: Insights from a PPGIS case study in Martinique (Lesser Antilles)

Résumé En

Understanding human-nature relationships has become both a theoretical and an operational issue with the increasing adoption of participatory approaches in environmental management. PPGIS methods are widely used for their ability to demonstrate these relationships as spatial patterns on a map and to reach a large and spatially distributed audience. The resulting spatial data are generally decoupled from participants' discourses, even though the latter can provide original and nuanced insights into what lies underneath the map, therefore human-nature relationships. Here, we conducted a web-mapping survey in Martinique (Lesser Antilles) to understand inhabitants’ relationships with nature. We proposed a quantitative method combining the spatial data sketched by inhabitants with their discourse data to investigate their perceptions of “rich nature”. Our results indicated a strong relationship between the “rich nature” perception and its spatial representation. The validity of the method was strengthened by good participation rates (n = 573) and geographical representativeness, although socio-demographic representativeness was not reached. This approach confirmed the added value of discourses in participatory mapping, hence supporting a PPGIS method that combines both mapping and participants' discourses.