Disturbance Severity and Human–Nature Relationships: A New Approach to Analyze People’s Well-Being along a Bark Beetle Infestation Gradient
Contact to nature and greenspace is important for emotional well-being and can promote human health. Forest landscapes provide such access to greenspace, especially in protected areas. However, forested protected areas are impacted by natural disturbances such as bark beetle infestations. On the one...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Forests |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/11/1954 |
| _version_ | 1797465281116766208 |
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| author | Mareike Kortmann Per Angelstam Marius Mayer Franz Leibl Jessica Reichert Christine Thorn Simon Thorn |
| author_facet | Mareike Kortmann Per Angelstam Marius Mayer Franz Leibl Jessica Reichert Christine Thorn Simon Thorn |
| author_sort | Mareike Kortmann |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Contact to nature and greenspace is important for emotional well-being and can promote human health. Forest landscapes provide such access to greenspace, especially in protected areas. However, forested protected areas are impacted by natural disturbances such as bark beetle infestations. On the one hand, such disturbances have positive impacts on ecological processes and biodiversity. On the other hand, they have allegedly negative impacts on the recreational value of a landscape. Limited knowledge about the public’s perception of forests subject to natural disturbances still hampers forest management to balance ecological functions and visitors’ recreational experience. Thus, our aim was to determine how attitudes towards nature influence the personal well-being in a naturally disturbed landscape. We investigated self-reported well-being and attitudes towards nature in a standardized questionnaire-based survey of 1008 German inhabitants in an experimentally adapted landscape visualization. Self-reported well-being was generally highest in landscapes with relatively few bark-beetle-killed trees. This was especially the case for people who felt included with nature and preferred an appreciative use or preservation of nature. Conversely, people who had previously visited a national park with visible bark beetle infestations rated their personal well-being highest in landscapes with larger proportions of beetle-killed trees. Our results indicate that it is necessary to analyze people’s knowledge about and relations to forest landscapes as well as concepts of nature conservation, natural landscapes, and biodiversity to gain a better understanding of people’s perceptions of natural disturbances. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:19:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1bb0481c2e374c6c8aca7b2f83d0aea3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4907 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:19:19Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forests |
| spelling | doaj.art-1bb0481c2e374c6c8aca7b2f83d0aea32023-11-24T08:24:36ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072022-11-011311195410.3390/f13111954Disturbance Severity and Human–Nature Relationships: A New Approach to Analyze People’s Well-Being along a Bark Beetle Infestation GradientMareike Kortmann0Per Angelstam1Marius Mayer2Franz Leibl3Jessica Reichert4Christine Thorn5Simon Thorn6Field Station Fabrikschleichach, Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology (Zoology III), Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg, Glashüttenstraße 5, 96181 Rauhenebrach, GermanyFaculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, 2480 Evenstad, NorwayFaculty of Tourism, Munich University of Applied Sciences, Schachenmeierstraße 35, 80636 München, GermanyBavarian Forest National Park, Freyunger Str. 2, 94481 Grafenau, GermanyDepartment of Animal Ecology and Systematics, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32 (IFZ), 35392 Giessen, GermanyEnvironmental Education Centre (UBiZ), Pfarrer-Baumann-Str. 17, 97514 Oberaurach, GermanyField Station Fabrikschleichach, Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology (Zoology III), Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg, Glashüttenstraße 5, 96181 Rauhenebrach, GermanyContact to nature and greenspace is important for emotional well-being and can promote human health. Forest landscapes provide such access to greenspace, especially in protected areas. However, forested protected areas are impacted by natural disturbances such as bark beetle infestations. On the one hand, such disturbances have positive impacts on ecological processes and biodiversity. On the other hand, they have allegedly negative impacts on the recreational value of a landscape. Limited knowledge about the public’s perception of forests subject to natural disturbances still hampers forest management to balance ecological functions and visitors’ recreational experience. Thus, our aim was to determine how attitudes towards nature influence the personal well-being in a naturally disturbed landscape. We investigated self-reported well-being and attitudes towards nature in a standardized questionnaire-based survey of 1008 German inhabitants in an experimentally adapted landscape visualization. Self-reported well-being was generally highest in landscapes with relatively few bark-beetle-killed trees. This was especially the case for people who felt included with nature and preferred an appreciative use or preservation of nature. Conversely, people who had previously visited a national park with visible bark beetle infestations rated their personal well-being highest in landscapes with larger proportions of beetle-killed trees. Our results indicate that it is necessary to analyze people’s knowledge about and relations to forest landscapes as well as concepts of nature conservation, natural landscapes, and biodiversity to gain a better understanding of people’s perceptions of natural disturbances.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/11/1954bark beetle disturbancemajor environmental valueswell-beinginclusion of nature in one’s selfnational park |
| spellingShingle | Mareike Kortmann Per Angelstam Marius Mayer Franz Leibl Jessica Reichert Christine Thorn Simon Thorn Disturbance Severity and Human–Nature Relationships: A New Approach to Analyze People’s Well-Being along a Bark Beetle Infestation Gradient Forests bark beetle disturbance major environmental values well-being inclusion of nature in one’s self national park |
| title | Disturbance Severity and Human–Nature Relationships: A New Approach to Analyze People’s Well-Being along a Bark Beetle Infestation Gradient |
| title_full | Disturbance Severity and Human–Nature Relationships: A New Approach to Analyze People’s Well-Being along a Bark Beetle Infestation Gradient |
| title_fullStr | Disturbance Severity and Human–Nature Relationships: A New Approach to Analyze People’s Well-Being along a Bark Beetle Infestation Gradient |
| title_full_unstemmed | Disturbance Severity and Human–Nature Relationships: A New Approach to Analyze People’s Well-Being along a Bark Beetle Infestation Gradient |
| title_short | Disturbance Severity and Human–Nature Relationships: A New Approach to Analyze People’s Well-Being along a Bark Beetle Infestation Gradient |
| title_sort | disturbance severity and human nature relationships a new approach to analyze people s well being along a bark beetle infestation gradient |
| topic | bark beetle disturbance major environmental values well-being inclusion of nature in one’s self national park |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/11/1954 |
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