Where the wild things are! Do urban green spaces with greater avian biodiversity promote more positive emotions in humans?
Authors
Cameron, RossBrindley, Paul
Mears, Meagan
McEwan, Kirsten
Ferguson, Fiona
Sheffield, David
Jorgensen, Anna
Riley, J
Goodwick, J
Ballard, L
Richardson, Miles
Affiliation
University of SheffieldUniversity of Derby
Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust, Sheffield
Issue Date
2020-01-22
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Urban green space can help mitigate the negative impacts of urban living and provide positive effects on citizens’ mood, health and well-being. Questions remain, however, as to whether all types of green space are equally beneficial, and if not, what landscape forms or key features optimise the desired benefits. For example, it has been cited that urban landscapes rich in wildlife (high biodiversity) may promote more positive emotions and enhance well-being. This research utilised a mobile phone App, employed to assess people’s emotions when they entered any one of 945 green spaces within the city of Sheffield, UK. Emotional responses were correlated to key traits of the individual green spaces, including levels of biodiversity the participant perceived around them. For a subsample of these green spaces, actual levels of biodiversity were assessed through avian and habitat surveys. Results demonstrated strong correlations between levels of avian biodiversity within a green space and human emotional response to that space. Respondents reported being happier in sites with greater avian biodiversity (p < 0.01, r = 0.78) and a greater variety of habitats (p < 0.02, r = 0.72). Relationships were strengthened when emotions were linked to perceptions of overall biodiversity (p < 0.001, r = 0.89). So, when participants thought the site was wildlife rich, they reported more positive emotions, even when actual avian biodiversity levels were not necessarily enhanced. The data strengthens the arguments that nature enhances well-being through positive affect, and that increased ‘engagement with nature’ may help support human health within urban environments. The results have strong implications for city planning with respect to the design, management and use of city green spaces.Citation
Cameron, R.W., Brindley, P., Mears, M., McEwan, K., Ferguson, F., Sheffield, D., Jorgensen, A., Riley, J., Goodrick, J., Ballard, L. and Richardson, M., (2020). 'Where the wild things are! Do urban green spaces with greater avian biodiversity promote more positive emotions in humans?' Urban Ecosystems, pp. 1-17. DOI:10.1007/s11252-020-00929-zPublisher
ElsevierJournal
Urban EcosystemsDOI
10.1007/s11252-020-00929-zAdditional Links
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11252-020-00929-zType
ArticleLanguage
enISSN
1083-8155EISSN
1573-1642ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1007/s11252-020-00929-z