Perceptions of vegetation succession following agricultural abandonment in the Massif Central region (France)

Agricultural abandonment followed by vegetation succession is a major land use and land cover (LULC) change in Europe. Such a dynamic has critical consequences on biodiversity and ecosystem services (ES) and disservices (EDS). Understanding the way local stakeholders perceive succession and its effects is crucial for sound landscape planning. This study addresses these issues in part of the Massif Central region (France) where multiple LULC changes have occurred in the last decades, including abandonment. We aimed at identifying stakeholders' perceptions and their drivers regarding old fields, and the subsequent post-agricultural vegetation stages from open shrublands to forests. We conducted 29 semi-structured interviews focused on LULC changes with three stakeholder groups: local decision-makers, land managers, and farmers. The terminology used to refer to old fields and the ES and EDS associated with them were recorded, and a thematic analysis was carried out. The results revealed a wide range of words and expressions used to refer to old fields, and inconsistencies between terminology and vegetation stages. The ES and EDS associated to old fields varied between stakeholder groups and were mainly regulating and cultural. The thematic analysis demonstrated that old fields can be considered as a degradation compared to traditional agriculture and as a loss of human control on vegetation, but also as natural ecosystems persisting in the face of other LULC changes - essentially urbanization and intensification. These findings show that land planning decisions need to consider abandonment in relation to other LULC changes and to the plurality of perceptions of old fields.