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This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 952327.

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BIOPHYSICAL FACTORS INFLUENCING CULTURAL ECOSYSTEM SERVICES OF GREEN SPACES

Nature provides a wide range of benefits for people, among which cultural ecosystem services (CES) are worth highlighting. CES are understood as the nonmaterial benefits people obtain from ecosystems through spiritual enrichment, educational values, reflection, recreation, and aesthetic experiences (MA, 2005). In contrast to other services, their significance increases with countries development (Guo et al., 2010). Nowadays, they are one of the main reasons for ecosystem conservation (Chan et al., 2011).

Taking into consideration the percentage of people living in the cities (according to The World Bank around 56% in 2019), the role of urban and peri-urban green spaces is especially important in providing CES (e.g., Baumeister et al., 2020). Furthermore, the significance of green spaces in sustaining the quality of life was appreciated during the crisis caused by COVID-19 (e.g., McCunn, 2020). Apart from mental and physical health benefits, green spaces provided people with a possibility to maintain a sence of community, which was endangered by the lockdown of other public places (McCunn, 2020).

The project aims to investigate the relationship between the landscape characteristics of green spaces and the CES they provide. The knowledge on the landscape features enhancing specific CES is essential for the management and conversation of green spaces to increase effects on wellbeing. In order to address this complex issue, the mixed methods of research will be employed (e.g., GIS techniques, social research and statistical analyses).

Team leader: Agnieszka Nowak - Olejnik (JU)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Research team members: Joanna Hibner (JU), Justyna Liro (JU), Rafał Madej (JU)

Supervisors: Dagmar Haase (UBER), Stefan Lang (PLUS), Martin Sudmanns (PLUS)