Abstract
The increasing use of visual representation in natural resource management is signed
as a promising tool for enhancing the communication with bidirectional flow of
information among stakeholders. Some targets are the transfer o f scientific
knowledge to non-scientific groups and the study o f perception that local
communities have about their environment. Both of them have critical importance in
developing countries. The objective of this thesis was to get further knowledge on
some topics and concerns related to the use o f photographic material as surrogates of
natural grassland areas among shepherds and extension advisers. The thesis
developed studies in two main grassland areas of Peru. The first study was carried
out in Azangaro, Puno, in the Peruvian High Plateau. This study explored the
reliability and validity o f the use of visual material in performing assessments about
common concepts used in grassland management by extension advisers, whose role
in the chain o f technology transfer is important in this area. The second area o f study
was the SAIS Pachacutec, which involves a significant grassland area in Junin,
located in the central mountain region of Peru. Two main research topics were
investigated in this area. First, there were comparisons in the use o f different
techniques (random and participatory approaches) for visual sampling in rangelands.
And second, the use o f photographic material combined with Q methodology was
explored for the elicitation of environmental perceptions among shepherds and local
administrations. Implications o f results for future use of visual representation in
natural resource management are discussed.
