Go greener, feel better? The positive effects of biodiversity on the well-being of individuals visiting urban and peri-urban green areas

Perceived health benefits of managed and unmanaged meadows in a mountain biosphere reserve – an experimental study in the Austrian Alps

“…Results showed that well-being increased more in the managed forest stand than in the more natural forest. On the other hand, Carrus et al (2013) found that the well-being of visitors to urban green spaces in Italy increased significantly as a function of the level of naturalness of the study sites. Hansmann et al (2007) and Tyrväinen et al (2014) found only limited evidence that forests have a more positive influence on human health compared to designed city parks.…”

“…No differences between the meadows were found for perceived effects on attention restoration, stress relief and well-being (Table 3). mountain environment; earlier on-site studies comparing natural and semi-natural sites did not provide a clear picture of perceived or observed health effects depending on the degree of naturalness (Carrus et al 2013;Dallimer et al 2012;Hansmann et al 2007;Marselle et al 2015;Martens et al 2011;Tyrväinen et al 2014;Velarde et al 2007). Our results are in line with those studies which have not found empirical evidence of different health effects depending on the degree of naturalness.…”

“…In their study in Taiwan ures of physiological health. In contrast, well-being was positively related to participants' perceived species richness (Carrus et al 2015;Dallimer et al 2012). However, Marselle et al (2015) found that a perceived high level of bird biodiversity correlated to a postwalk negative affect.…”

“…In addition, these studies are difficult to compare due to their different methodological approaches, participant characteristics and study sites. Most of the few studies on relationships between biodiversity and human health and well-being were carried out in an urban context, often relying on independent samples of participants (Carrus et al 2015;Dallimer et al 2012;Fuller et al 2007). Lovell et al (2014) and Carrus et al (2015) called for more research to produce a more robust evidence base for the relationship between biodiversity and human health.…”

Urban green valuation integrating biophysical and qualitative aspects

“…Urban green as a metonymic expression connotes a holistic, integrated concept comprising ecological, socio-economic, and policy-related aspects: (1) urban ecosystems and biodiversity, manifested in the physical green, as in the vegetative environment; (2) the psychological well-being and quality of life including restorative effects and restoration of attention (Kaplan, 1995) induced by green structures and non-monotonous urban landscapes (Carrus et al, 2015); and (3) green mobility and liveability as well as production and consumption including resource maintenance and efficiency in the sense of the green city. Due to this multi-faceted significance, green policies have been established in European and international strategies for sustainable urban neighborhoods under global change dynamics (Luederitz, Lang, & Von Wehrden, 2013), with cities being likewise the main cause and the main solution driver for these sustainability challenges (Grimm et al, 2008).…”