The Linkage Between Cultural Ecosystem Services and Local Culture

A deep interplay exists among cultural ecosystem services (CES), local culture, and sustainable environmental management, forming a critical foundation for sustainability. Understanding the linkage between CES and local culture can assist policymakers in designing holistic conservation strategies and sustainably managing natural resources effectively. To capture its multidimensional nature, local culture is assessed through local cultural values (LCV) and the emotional (PI) and functional (PD) aspects of human–place bonds (PA). A questionnaire survey incorporating the contingent valuation method was conducted in Jinan City, eastern China. The results show that: (1) CES influence LCV only through PA; (2) the internal interaction process among cultural elements follows PD ⇒ PI ⇒ LCV; and (3) the overall pathway is CES ⇒ PD (β = 0.252) ⇒ PI (β = 0.708) ⇒ LCV (β = 0.573). This study, for the first time, revealed this comprehensive pathway linking CES and local culture, highlighting the mediating role of PD in this connection. These findings suggest that policymakers and urban planners should emphasize the functional dimension (PD) of human–place bonds to enhance environmental resource management, support sustainable use, and increase public acceptance of local policies by strengthening CES.