Ecosystem services assessment can contribute to the conservation of the customary practice of livestock movements. Our comprehensive framework facilitates the dialogue between different knowledge systems and promotes multi-scale participatory decision-making. 185 ince the release of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA 2005), the science of ecosystem services has attracted much attention in the scientific community, as the increasing number of publications in recent years shows (Fisher et al. 2009, de Groot et al. 2010). The concept of ecosystem services, i. e., the direct and indirect contributions of ecosystems to human well-being (TEEB 2010), has become highly relevant in policy-making cap- turing the attention and interest of a wide range of institutions and decision-makers involved in biodiversity conservation, land- scape planning and socioeconomic development. Ecosystem services evaluation can be particularly useful in cul- tural landscapes (Schaich et al. 2011), such as the Mediterranean basin, where ecosystems and human societies have coevolved for millennia, producing a unique and characteristic landscape con- figuration (Makhzoumi and Pungetti 1999). In Mediterranean cultural landscapes, extensive management and traditional land- use practices have left room for highly biologically diverse agro- ecosystems responsible for the provision of important ecosystem services. Transhumance, the seasonal migration of livestock between summer pastures in highlands at northern latitudes and winter pastures in lowlands at more southern latitudes, is one of the many customary practices developed by ancient Mediterranean societies to adapt to an unpredictable and highly fluctuating en- vironment (Gómez Sal 2000, Herzog et al. 2005). Matching graz- ing pressure to seasonal peaks in pasture productivity allows an optimal exploitation of existing resources (Ruiz and Ruiz 1986, Manzano-Baena and Casas 2010). > Evaluating Ecosystem Services in Transhumance Cultural Landscapes An Interdisciplinary and Participatory Framework Elisa Oteros-Rozas, José A. González, Berta Martín-López, César A. López, Pedro Zorrilla-Miras, Carlos Montes Contact: Elisa Oteros-Rozas (corresponding author) Tel.: +34 91 4976782 | E-Mail: elisa.oteros@uam.es Dr. José A. González | E-Mail: jose.gonzalez@uam.es Dr. Berta Martín-López | E-Mail: berta.martin@uam.es Dr. César A. López | E-Mail: cesaragustin.lopez@uam.es Dr. Pedro Zorrilla-Miras | E-Mail: pedro.zorrilla@uam.es Evaluating Ecosystem Services in Transhumance Cultural Landscapes. An Interdisciplinary and Participatory Framework GAIA 21/3 (2012): 185 –193 Abstract Following the concept of ecosystem services, we propose in this article an interdisciplinary and participatory methodological framework for ecosystem services assessment and participatory decision-making in Mediterranean cultural landscapes linked with transhumant pastoralism. It is based on four sequential phases: 1. characterisation of the social-ecological network associated with transhumance, 2. preliminary identification and characteri- sation of ecosystem services, 3. evaluation of ecosystem services (in biophysical, socio-cultural, and economic terms), and 4. future scenario planning for the analysis of social conflicts related to ecosystem services use and trade-offs as well as the proposal of management strategies. Applying the framework to a case study on one of the major transhumance landscapes in Spain, we could identify and evaluate more than 30 ecosystem services. The framework facilitated the design of robust policy measures that aim to maintain this livestock raising model and its associated flow of ecosystem services. It also contributes to provide the basis for the implementation of adaptive co-management strategies. Keywords adaptive co-management, Conquense Royal Drove Road (CRDR), decision-making, future scenario planning, social-ecological network GAIA 21/3 (2012): 185 –193 | www.oekom.de/gaia S Prof. Dr. Carlos Montes | E-Mail: carlos.montes@uam.es all: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid | Department of Ecology | Social- Ecological Systems Laboratory | Cantoblanco s/n | 28049, Madrid | Spain ©2012 E. Oteros-Rozas et al.; licensee oekom verlag. This is an article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use,distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.