TOPOPHILIA AND ENVIRONMENTAL VALUATION OF URBAN FOREST FRAGMENTS IN AN AMAZONIAN CITY

Abstract

Abstract The factors that can influence the environmental valuation of urban forest fragments (UFFs) in two neighborhoods of the city of Manaus (AM) were assessed. The valuation data were obtained through the technique of pile sorting followed by ranking, considering 14 socioenvironmental attributes. Most of the residents (59%, N = 69) mentioned positive feelings (topophilia) regarding the conservation of the fragments in the urban landscape. The attributes associated with the ecocentric vision were those that received the highest positive values, followed by anthropocentric attributes associated with the direct non-consumptive use of environmental resources, such as “aesthetic” and “learning”. Residents who live closer tended to value the fragment more than distant residents, and the opposite occurred when there was an association between the presence of the fragment and violence and crime in the neighborhood. Among the socioeconomic variables investigated, only the time as a resident seemed to be related to the way the city residents value these forest remnants.