The missing intangibles: nature’s contributions to human wellbeing through place attachment and social capital

Abstract

Communities in socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes are aging and depopulating. While longstanding interdependence of humans and nature in such areas holds crucial hints for sustainable development, they continue to be undervalued by existing economic frameworks. We suspect omission of non-material nature’s contributions to people (NCPs) as a possible reason for this undervaluation and focus on the intangible aspects of human–nature relationships: people’s direct and emotional attachment to their land and interrelationships between close-knit human communities and a thriving natural environment. Field observations on Sado Island, Japan, and literature reviews informed our hypothesis that perceived nature, conceptual human–nature relationships, place attachment, and social relationships contribute to subjective wellbeing. Structural equation modeling of island-wide questionnaire responses confirmed our hypothesis. Nature contributes to wellbeing by enhancing place attachment and social relationships; ecocentrism contributes to greater values of perceived nature. Free-response comments elucidated how local foods and close interpersonal relationships enhance residents’ happiness and good quality of life, as well as how aging and depopulation impact their sense of loneliness. These results lend empirical support to the understanding of human–nature interdependency in socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes. In assessing their value to local residents and society at large, greater consideration should be given to intangible aspects of human–nature relationships and quality of life.

Assessing the Impact of Social and Ecological Change during COVID-19 in Natural Areas Through the Subjective Well-Being and Place Attachment of Natural Area Users

“…A positive relationship between place attachment and well-being has been demonstrated by many researchers (Basu et al, 2020;Lager et al, 2012;Scannell & Gifford, 2017;Yoshida et al, 2022). Quantitative studies have found place attachment to mediate well-being through nature connectedness (Basu et al, 2020).…”

Nature's contributions to human well‐being under climate change: Evidence from Central and Eastern Madagascar

“…How non‐material services – defined as ‘nature's effects on subjective or psychological aspects underpinning people's quality of life, both individually and collectively’ (Díaz et al., 2018)—contribute to the various aspects of physical and mental well‐being, has received less attention and less methodological advancement (Kosanic & Petzold, 2020; Milcu et al., 2013). However, recent research increasingly focuses also on the non‐material contributions and their effect on human well‐being (Methorst et al., 2020), especially concerning resource‐dependent communities (Elwell et al., 2020; Yoshida et al., 2022).…”

Listening to Experiences of Environmental Change in Rural Vietnam: An Intergenerational Approach

“…These economic, social, cultural and emotional connections can be said to transform a neutral ‘space’ into a ‘place’, imbued with meaning (Cresswell, 2014). These intangible aspects of human-nature relationships are fundamental to understand how place contributes to well-being (Fresque-Baxter & Armitage, 2012; Yoshida et al, 2022).…”

“…Place attachment is built over time through connections and interactions with the environment and can contribute to an individual’s sense of well-being (Yoshida et al, 2022). In our research sites, the peacefulness and tranquillity of rural life were appreciated by both younger and older people.…”