A Graph Theory approach to assess nature's contribution to people at a global scale

TL;DR

This study uses graph theory to analyze social media hashtags, revealing visitors' preferences and perceptions of marine ecosystems at a global scale, aiding in effective natural space management.

Contribution

It introduces a novel application of network centrality measures on Instagram hashtags to assess cultural ecosystem services globally.

Findings

Identified key user preferences and perceptions of marine areas.

Revealed dominant activities, habitats, and feelings associated with natural sites.

Provided insights for better management of marine ecosystems.

Abstract

Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES) assessment at large scales is crucial in marine ecosystems as they reflect key physical and cognitive interactions between humans and nature. The analysis of social media data with graph theory is a promising approach to provide global information on users' perceptions for different marine ecosystems. Fourteen areas were selected to illustrate the use of graph theory on social media data. The selected areas, known to protect key recreational, educational and heritage attributes of marine ecosystems, were investigated to identify variability in users' preferences. Instagram data (i.e., hashtags associated to photos) was extracted for each area allowing an in-depth assessment of the CES most appreciated by the users. Hashtags were analysed using network centrality measures to identify clusters of words, aspects not normally captured by traditional photo content analysis. The emergent properties of networks of hashtags were explored to characterise visitors' preferences (e.g., cultural heritage or nature appreciation), activities (e.g., diving or hiking), preferred habitats and species (e.g. forest, beach, penguins), and feelings (e.g., happiness or place identity). Network analysis on Instagram hashtags allowed delineating the users' discourse around a natural area, which provides crucial information for effective management of popular natural spaces for people.