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Land
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Ecosystem Services and Residents’ Perceptions: Integrating and Innovating across Disciplinary...
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Ecosystem Services and Residents’ Perceptions: Integrating and Innovating across Disciplinary Perspectives

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Landscape Ecology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 2694

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Qi Fu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Politics and Public Administration, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
Interests: ecosystem services; land resources management; sustainability
Prof. Dr. Hans Skov-Petersen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 23, 1958 Frederiksberg, Denmark
Interests: GIS technology; CAD; geodesign; accessibility; spatial modelling; communicative aspects of GIS; physical planning; recreational modelling and monitoring; models of human behaviour; way finding; didactic aspects of GIS
Dr. Xu Bi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Resources and Environment, Shanxi University of Finance and Economics, Taiyuan 030006, China
Interests: ecosystem services; ecosystem management; remote sensing; GIS
Dr. Kai Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Landscape Architecture, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Interests: landscape ecological planning; ecosystem services and residents’ well-being; urban and regional sustainable development

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As global environmental changes and socio-economic development progress, the study of ecosystem services (ESSs) has become a focal point across multiple disciplines such as environmental science, geography, urban planning, and social sciences. Ecosystem services, the contributions of ecosystems to human well-being, encompass provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services. However, the value of ecosystem services depends not only on their biophysical attributes but also on the social, cultural, and economic contexts, particularly the perceptions and evaluations of these services by residents. Therefore, exploring the relationship between ecosystem services and resident perception is of great significance for promoting the sustainable management and utilization of ecosystem services.

This Special Issue aims to gather research from diverse disciplinary backgrounds to discuss the interplay between ecosystem services and residents’ perceptions, as well as how interdisciplinary approaches can foster the integration and innovation of ecosystem services. We particularly welcome submissions on the following topics:

  • Classification and assessment methods of ecosystem services, especially how to incorporate residents’ perceptions into the assessment of ecosystem services.
  • Residents’ perceptions and values of ecosystem services, including the impact of cultural differences, socio-economic status, and environmental changes on perception.
  • The relationship between ecosystem services and resident well-being, including the contributions of ecosystem services to health, quality of life, and community development.
  • The application of interdisciplinary methods in ecosystem service research, particularly how to integrate perspectives and methods from natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities.
  • Resident participation in the management of and policy-making regarding ecosystem services, and how residents being involved can promote the sustainable use and protection of ecosystem services.
  • Case studies on the integration and innovation of urban and rural ecosystem services, especially in practice, to address global environmental challenges such as climate change, urbanization, and biodiversity loss.

We invite researchers worldwide to submit original research articles, review articles, and case studies to jointly explore the interdisciplinary integration and innovation of ecosystem services and resident perception. Through the publication of this Special Issue, we hope to provide new perspectives and methods for the research and practice of ecosystem services, promoting harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. We look forward to your contributions!

Prof. Dr. Qi Fu
Prof. Dr. Hans Skov-Petersen
Dr. Xu Bi
Dr. Kai Li
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • ecosystem service assessment
  • resident perception
  • cultural and socio-economic impacts
  • well-being and quality of life
  • interdisciplinary research
  • community participation
  • urban and rural ecosystems
  • climate change and biodiversity

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 5349 KiB  
Article
Evaluating Smart Community Development in China from the Perspective of Residents’ Sense of Safety: An Analysis Using Criteria Importance through Intercriteria Correlation and Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation Approaches
by Chenyang Wang, Linxiu Wang, Tiantian Gu, Enyang Hao, Yujie Chen and Huanjie Zhang
Land 2024, 13(9), 1434; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13091434 - 5 Sep 2024
Viewed by 241
Abstract
As a vital part of smart city development, smart community development is in full swing, aiming to improve residents’ sense of safety (RSS). Most research focuses on the technological innovation and infrastructure construction of smart communities; few studies have evaluated smart community development [...] Read more.
As a vital part of smart city development, smart community development is in full swing, aiming to improve residents’ sense of safety (RSS). Most research focuses on the technological innovation and infrastructure construction of smart communities; few studies have evaluated smart community development from the perspective of the RSS. Thus, this paper aims to propose a system of evaluation indicators for assessing the RSS of smart community development. After the relevant evaluation indicators were identified, an evaluation method was proposed using the CRITIC-FCE approach. To validate the feasibility of this method, 31 smart communities in China were selected in this study. The results showed the following: (1) The indicator of the highest weight was ‘cultural activities for the elderly’, while ‘overall design’ had the lowest weight, highlighting the importance of community services in enhancing the RSS of smart community development. (2) The selected cities and communities achieved a generally high level in the RSS of smart community development, and some differences were observed among them. (3) Emergency services and property services play an important role in enhancing the RSS of smart community development, with communities excelling in these areas, achieving higher overall rankings. Conversely, the score of pension service was relatively low, which is a common problem in the evaluation results, reflecting the shortcomings of the current smart community in providing pension service. Consequently, several strategies are suggested to enhance the RSS of smart community development, such as building an emergency information system based on advanced technology, establishing mobile and Internet of Things-based emergency assistance services for the elderly, and enhancing the maintenance of public facilities. This research enriches the knowledge of RSS and provides guidance for further research for the RSS of smart community development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem Services and Residents’ Perceptions: Integrating and Innovating across Disciplinary Perspectives)
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22 pages, 48079 KiB  
Article
Neighborhood Effects of Blue Space in Historical Environments on the Mental Health of Older Adults: A Case Study of the Ancient City of Suzhou, China
by Zihan Yang, Jianqiang Yang and Shenglan Chen
Land 2024, 13(8), 1328; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13081328 - 22 Aug 2024
Viewed by 370
Abstract
With the rapid aging of the global population, China’s old urban areas, especially historical urban areas, are facing a more severe aging situation. In the context of heritage protection, the development and regeneration of historical urban areas are restricted. They usually face the [...] Read more.
With the rapid aging of the global population, China’s old urban areas, especially historical urban areas, are facing a more severe aging situation. In the context of heritage protection, the development and regeneration of historical urban areas are restricted. They usually face the aging and decay of housing, infrastructure, and public service facilities, which are harmful neighborhood environmental factors to the health development of older adults. Since the World Health Organization adopted “healthy aging” as a development strategy to deal with population aging, the mental health of older adults has become an increasingly important public health issue. A growing body of research demonstrates the positive impact of blue spaces (including oceans, rivers, lakes, wetlands, ponds, etc.) on older adults’ mental health, yet evidence on the potential of blue spaces in a historical environment to promote mental health among older adults remains limited. Therefore, exploring the neighborhood impact of blue space on the mental health of older adults has become a new entry point to provide an age-friendly environment for older adults in the ancient city. This study uses multi-source data such as community questionnaire data, remote sensing images, urban street view images, and environmental climate data of the ancient city of Suzhou, to extract a variety of blue space quantitative indicators, and uses the hierarchical linear model and mediation effect model to explore the neighborhood impact of blue space exposure in the historical environment on older adults, to try to explore the impact path and formation mechanism behind it. The result is that exposure to neighborhood blue space in Suzhou’s historic urban area is significantly related to the mental health of older adults. Additionally, neighborhood blue space exposure improves the mental health of older adults by relieving stress and promoting physical activities and social interaction. The health effects of neighborhood blue space exposure vary among elderly groups with different age and income stratifications, and have a greater impact on the healthy lifestyle and mental health of older adults in younger and lower-income aging groups. Based on a multidisciplinary theoretical perspective, this study enriches the empirical literature on the impact of blue space on the mental health of older adults in historical environments and provides a scientific basis for the regeneration planning of “healthy neighborhoods” and “healthy aging” in historical urban areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem Services and Residents’ Perceptions: Integrating and Innovating across Disciplinary Perspectives)
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19 pages, 3641 KiB  
Article
Quantifying Residents’ Perceptions of Smart Community Construction through a Hybrid EWM-PROMETHEE II Method: A Case Study of Shenzhen, China
by Tiantian Gu, Yongchao Wang, Li Wang, Enyang Hao, Chenyang Wang and Muhan Xie
Land 2024, 13(8), 1197; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13081197 - 4 Aug 2024
Viewed by 493
Abstract
Smart community construction (SCC) is pivotal for urban modernization, yet extant research often neglects the residents’ perceptions of these initiatives, focusing predominantly on technological advancements. A hybrid evaluation method integrating the Entropy Weight Method (EWM) and PROMETHEE II was developed to quantify residents’ [...] Read more.
Smart community construction (SCC) is pivotal for urban modernization, yet extant research often neglects the residents’ perceptions of these initiatives, focusing predominantly on technological advancements. A hybrid evaluation method integrating the Entropy Weight Method (EWM) and PROMETHEE II was developed to quantify residents’ perceptions of SCC. Through the literature review and expert interview, the evaluation indicators for residents’ perceptions of the SCC were identified, leading to the development of an evaluation indicator system consisting of 5 dimensions and 25 indicators. The hybrid evaluation method that combines EWM and PROMETHEE II was then applied to quantify the level of residents’ perceptions of SCC across five communities in Shenzhen city of China, using data from 410 valid questionnaires. The results indicated that the Baolong community had the highest level of the SCC, while the Nanyuan community exhibited the lowest ranking. Sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of these results, thereby validating the evaluation process. Moreover, recommendations were proposed to enhance residents’ perceptions of smart community initiatives. This research not only introduces a novel evaluation method that expands the body of knowledge on the SCC and residents’ perceptions but also helps the government develop sustainable SCC strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem Services and Residents’ Perceptions: Integrating and Innovating across Disciplinary Perspectives)
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17 pages, 1788 KiB  
Article
Relationship between Ecosystem-Services Trade-Offs and Supply–Demand Balance along a Precipitation Gradient: A Case Study in the Central Loess Plateau of China
by Qiang Feng, Baoling Duan and Xiao Zhang
Land 2024, 13(7), 1057; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13071057 - 15 Jul 2024
Viewed by 525
Abstract
Although the theory of ecosystem services (ESs) is important for guiding land-use planning, knowledge of ESs trade-offs and supply–demand mechanisms is still lacking, and the characteristics of the correlation between the size of trade-offs and the balance between supply and demand along the [...] Read more.
Although the theory of ecosystem services (ESs) is important for guiding land-use planning, knowledge of ESs trade-offs and supply–demand mechanisms is still lacking, and the characteristics of the correlation between the size of trade-offs and the balance between supply and demand along the precipitation gradient have not yet been clarified. In order to supplement this area of knowledge of ESs, we selected 30 small watersheds in high-, medium- and low-precipitation areas as study units. A biophysical model and socio-economic data were used to calculate supply and demand for carbon sequestration, soil conservation and water yield. Redundancy analysis and regression analysis were used to study the ESs trade-offs, the supply–demand dynamics, and the characteristics of their correlation. The results were as follows. (1) The supply and balance between supply and demand of the three ESs, the trade-off between carbon sequestration and water yield and the trade-off between soil conservation and water yield trended downwards from the high-precipitation area to the medium-precipitation area to the low-precipitation area. (2) The primary factors influencing balance between supply and demand with regard to carbon sequestration in high-, medium- and low-precipitation areas were population density and soil organic-matter content, and the size of the conditional effects were greater than 53%. The dominant factor affecting the balance between supply and demand with regard to soil conservation in the three precipitation areas was slope gradient, and the conditional effect was greater than 40%. The most significant determinants of balance between supply and demand with regard to water yield in the three precipitation areas were grassland area, forest area and precipitation, and the conditional effects were greater than 22%. (3) The most significant determinants of the trade-off between carbon sequestration and water yield in high-, medium- and low-precipitation areas were forest, soil organic-matter content and population density, and the conditional effects were all greater than 45%; the primary factors affecting the trade-off between soil conservation and water yield in high-, medium- and low-precipitation areas were grassland and slope gradient, and the conditional effects were all greater than 24%. (4) The relationship between the balance between supply and demand and trade-off size often followed a quadratic function; the next-most-common relationship was a monotonous nonlinear response, and a linear response relationship was relatively rare. This study revealed the factors influencing balance between supply and demand and trade-offs with regard to ESs and the characteristics of their correlations in areas with different degrees of precipitation, which provided a new idea for the synchronous regulation of ESs in the context of conflicts and supply–demand imbalance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem Services and Residents’ Perceptions: Integrating and Innovating across Disciplinary Perspectives)
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18 pages, 2053 KiB  
Article
Envisaging Participatory Management in Protected Areas: Local Response to Proposed Conservation Actions in Relation to Environmental Orientation
by Vassiliki Kleftoyanni and Michael Vrahnakis
Land 2024, 13(7), 976; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13070976 - 2 Jul 2024
Viewed by 421
Abstract
Involving local people in natural area management is very important to address the complexity of environmental management issues for the sustainable use of local resources. Participatory methods require the contribution of local stakeholders in decision-making. Mapping the environmental views of local communities allows [...] Read more.
Involving local people in natural area management is very important to address the complexity of environmental management issues for the sustainable use of local resources. Participatory methods require the contribution of local stakeholders in decision-making. Mapping the environmental views of local communities allows for the detection of aspects that could facilitate management efforts. This research—in the frame of the Skyros LIFE project and the PAMNATURA project—measures the local acceptability of the conservation actions proposed by the LIFE project in Skyros island (Greece), in relation to recording local people’s environmental orientation using the 15-item revised New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale. The research was carried out by means of questionnaires. The LIFE project proposed actions were grouped into three categories according to their theme, i.e., promoting (a) nature protection, (b) agro-pastoralism and (c) ecotourism. The sample seems to largely agree with the LIFE project proposals, while the results showed high scores for most of the NEP scale items, implying pro-environmental beliefs, though there appears to be disagreement or neutrality regarding a few items. The local acceptability of the proposed actions was found to correlate to local people’s environmental concern measured through the NEP scale. Drawing on the results, the implementation of actions related directly or indirectly to economic activities and the preservation of traditional activities, as well as environmental education and interactive informing and consultation, could enhance local participation. Skyros island seems to offer an appropriate social background for applying participatory and adaptive management and implementing conservation programs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecosystem Services and Residents’ Perceptions: Integrating and Innovating across Disciplinary Perspectives)
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