Associations between the perception of ecosystem services and well-being in urban parks

Abstract

Abstract The benefits of Ecosystem Services (ES) for the population’s well-being have been studied from different perspectives. One of these biases is the relationship between urban green areas and levels of well-being among users of urban parks. The objective of this study was to analyze possible associations between the perception of cultural ES and aspects related to well-being among users of a set of urban parks in a Latin American metropolis. 481 surveys were carried out with users of ten urban parks in the City of Recife, Northeast Brazil. The questions addressed the profile of the visitors, the perception of the characteristics of the parks, the influence of ES on environmental dimensions, the self-perception of health, and the willingness to pay (WTP) for the benefits of the services. Data were analyzed in Stata 14, and four ordinal logistic regression models were generated. The results showed that the better the self-perception regarding mental health and stress levels, the greater the perception of the benefits of ESs in parks. Also, it was evidenced that more acceptance of WTP was correlated with a better perception of ES. The findings suggest that users of urban parks in the studied metropolis know the benefits of ES, associating them with improvements in well-being and urban environmental quality. These results can serve as a subsidy for decision-makers to incorporate the value of ES in urban planning strategies, especially in the context that the management of urban parks in the city will be granted to non-governmental actors.