Social and cultural services of urban forests und their characteristics – a survey-based quantification

• Research unit: COST
• Project number: C13.0135

Key words (English)

social and cultural services; perception; public assessment; behaviour; forest visitors; survey; physical forest characteristics; ecosystem services

Research programs (English)

COST-Action FP1204 - Green Infrastructure approach: linking environmental with social aspects in studying and managing urban forests

Short description (English)

Urban forests fulfill important functions in terms of ecosystem services and are greatly appreciated by the public for their social and cultural services. Using standardised questionnaires we will assess these services as well as public perception of ecosystem services and relate the results to on-site physical properties and forest characteristics. The aim is to define social and cultural services of urban forests and to get insights into people's expectations and assessments of these services. Furthermore, the project aims to identify gaps between the urban population's perceptions and expectations regarding social, cultural and ecological services of forests and the actual services that these forests provide and to answer the overall question, whether the urban population really prefers forest areas that provide the services that they are looking for. We will then use this data to develop a predictive model suitable for mapping forest areas with high social, cultural and/or ecological services. This background information can be useful to local authorities and forestry services that have the task of managing and maintaining urban forests as attractive green spaces for the urban population.

Further information (English)

Full name of research-institution/enterprise: Eidg. Forschungsanstalt WSL Gruppe Sozialwissenschaftliche Landschaftsforschung

Partners and International Organizations (English)

AT; BE; BA; BG; HR; CY; CZ; DK; EE; FI; FR; F.Y. R. of Macedonia; DE; EL; HU; IS; IE; IL; IT; LV; LT; MT; NL; NO; PL; PT; RO; RS; SK; SI; ES; SE; TR; UK; AM; DZ; US

Abstract (English)

The aim of this project is to assess cultural services of urban forests and to get insights into peoples expectations and perceptions of these services. Furthermore, the project aims to link these assessments to physical forest characteristics and thereby provide a basis for integrating social aspects into forest policy and planning. A systematic quantitative literature review conducted within the COST Action reveated research priorities and gaps when linking social and natural scientific aspects of green infrastructure and urban forests. A manuscript on this review has been submitted to Urban Forestry and Urban Greening. Part of the work on this Journal article was carried out during a Short-Term Scientific Mission of the PostDoc working on this project to Sjerp de Vries, Wageningen University and Research Centre. The results from the literature review gave US 3 good overview which elements in cultural ecosystem service research had received little attention up to now and would be worth fUrther investigation in our national survey. We also interviewed several experts who provided us with valuable inputs, thus concluding the inductive phase of our project. An online survey was conducted in the whole of Switzerland and 1000 respondents filled in the questionnaire, among them 200 teenagers between 14 and 18 years old. The questionnaire focused on expectations concerning ecological and cultural ecosystem services and disservices of urban forests. lt contained a series of photos taken from the Swiss National Forest lnventory NFI. The forests depicted on the photos were evaluated by respondents regarding attractiveness and expected ecosystem services. Each photo was interpreted by two experts from the NFI field team according to NFI criteria. In addition, small structures like the presence of informal trails, moss, ivy, etc. not yet included in the NFI, but potentially relevant for recreation, were also considered. Linking these data to respondents answers will provide new knowledge concerning the relationship between forest characteristics and cultural ecosystem services. The results from a fotest visitor survey linking perceived visual forest attractiveness to data from NFt sample plots were presented at the European Forum on Urban Forestry EFUF in LJubljana in June 2016. The corresponding manuscript is currently undergoing revision.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: COST-DB of the State Secretariat for Education and Research Hallwylstrasse 4 CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland Tel. [phone] Swiss Project-Number: C13.0135