Valuing Nature for Wellbeing: Narratives of Socio-ecological Change in Dynamic Intertidal Landscapes

Roberts, Erin; Thomas, Merryn; Pidgeon, Nick; Henwood, Karen

doi:10.3197/096327120x15916910310635

Cited by 14 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Being outside and fresh air were often mentioned in tandem, reflecting a desire for escapism and refuge, e.g., "To get some fresh air and get away from all the 'screens' in the house" [P79]. In a similar tone to the mentions of bird migratory patterns, the seasons code recorded an awareness and desire to "experience the rhythm of the seasons" [P170], supporting other work on the importance of cyclical natural processes in bringing people to wetlands [105]. The desire for participants to be in and to view pleasant environments (24 MUs, 1.6%) and to be in and near wetlands/water (12 MUs, 0.8%) was also captured.…”

Section: Motivations For Usementioning

confidence: 74%

A Qualitative Analysis of UK Wetland Visitor Centres as a Health Resource

Reeves

John

Wood

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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The health benefits associated with spending time in natural environments have been highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lockdowns and restrictions to safeguard public health have exacerbated the pre-existing mental health crisis and rise of non-communicable diseases. Thus, the importance of nature as a health resource has been elevated, hastening calls for a better understanding of how health benefits might differ across user groups and nature provisions. In this regard, urban green spaces have become the greatest research focus; however, blue spaces, especially inland freshwater (e.g., wetlands), remain less studied. First-hand user experiences are also under-represented. This exploratory study examines the motivations and benefits of active wetland centre users in the UK, both during and after visits. Responses to three open-ended questions were collated online from 385 participants, and a qualitative content analysis was conducted based on an existing taxonomy from users of urban green spaces. The results showed strong motivations to visit due to the biodiversity at the site (mainly the birdlife), while less tangible nature (e.g., fresh air) and amenities were also important. In contrast to other studies on natural environments, physical activity was a less influential motivation. Salient derived effects included positive and intensely positive emotions, relaxation and mental restoration. After visits to wetland centres, feelings of vitality and satisfaction were the most prominent effects that emerged. For decision-makers looking to leverage inland blue spaces for public health benefit, our results highlight the broad range and relative prominence of the reasons for use and the associated perceived health benefits derived by users of UK wetland centres. They highlight how biodiversity, abiotic nature and good amenities are important qualities to consider when planning, managing and encouraging people to use natural environments for health benefit, qualities that may also provide important environmental co-benefits.

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Section: Motivations For Usementioning

confidence: 74%

A Qualitative Analysis of UK Wetland Visitor Centres as a Health Resource

Reeves

John

Wood

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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“…The location of our case sites in Wales, UK. Adapted from Roberts et al (2021), based on Wales_location_map.svg by NordNordWest, used under CC BY‐SA 3.0 and Wales in Europe 2.svg by Llywelyn2000, used under CC BY‐SA 4.0. The Gower Peninsula, referred to by some participants, is also shown…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Indeed, the approaches to coastal management—and local responses to these—have been quite different in the two locations. Notably, at Laugharne (Taf), where there is a policy of managed realignment, the local community rejected the construction of a surge barrier due to aesthetic concerns (Roberts et al, 2021; South Wales Coastal Group, 2012). At Fairbourne (Mawddach), the policy for after 2055 of ‘no active intervention’ has been met with local opposition and media coverage as villagers face the prospect of losing their homes to rising sea levels (Harries, 2020).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2699), and informed consent to participate was obtained in writing from participants. Methods are summarised in Figure 2 (see also Roberts et al, 2021).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While the Taf and the Mawddach rivers both flow through varied landscapes to form wide, sandy estuaries of similar size and shape (Roberts et al, 2021), they lie in distinct sediment cells and are thus subject to different Shoreline Management Plans (Ballinger & Dodds, 2020). Indeed, the approaches to coastal management-and local responses to these-have been quite different in the two locations.…”

Section: Case Sitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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‘This funny place’: Uncovering the ambiguity of saltmarshes using a multimodal approach

et al. 2022

Self Cite

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Saltmarshes are increasingly recognised for the range of benefits they offer, including coastal protection, flood regulation and carbon sequestration. However, much less is known about how people perceive these environments and their importance for non‐material aspects of human well‐being. As climate change and sea‐level rise render these environments increasingly vulnerable, there is a need to better understand how saltmarshes are valued. This is because these values influence—and are influenced by—the ways in which people interact with places and therefore gain well‐being benefits from them. These values also shape management decisions, which in turn affect the well‐being of people and environment. To address this need, we use a multimodal qualitative approach (mobile interviews, photo elicitations, mapping and word association) to explore the values held in connection to saltmarshes at two Welsh case study sites: the Taf Estuary in Carmarthenshire and the Mawddach Estuary in Gwynedd. We find that saltmarshes are ambiguous places, not having one obvious meaning, and being open to more than one interpretation. They are both known and unknown; valued and (literally) overlooked. We suggest that this ambiguousness is related to both the physical characteristics of saltmarshes, which change and shift on short and long time‐scales, as well as to the ways in which people (can) relate with them. We discuss how ambiguity renders saltmarshes as places of exclusive, privileged human–nature relationships, and reflect on the implications of our findings for human well‐being and the management of threatened environments. We also consider how multimodal, in‐depth and place‐based methods such as ours provide ways in which to explore the more intangible and changeable values associated with particular habitats. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

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Coastal residents' affective engagement with the natural and constructed environment

Buitendijk,

Morris‐Webb,

Hadj‐Hammou

et al. 2023

People and Nature

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Coastal communities and their landscapes are subject to constant change, and today face new challenges as a result of climate change and the sustainable energy transition. To ensure the resilience of coastal communities to ongoing changes in the natural and constructed environment, it is imperative that planners and other decision‐makers understand the importance of local places to residents. We used an interdisciplinary, mixed‐methods approach to study relationships between coastal residents and places in south Co. Wicklow, Ireland, introducing the concept of ‘affective engagement’. Grounded in new materialist theory (notably actor–network theory), this term connects the meaning derived by residents from their relationships with coastal places (‘affect’) to the extent of their material interactions (‘engagement’). ‘Affect’ was determined from thematic analysis of interviews and open questionnaire responses, as well as place attachment scales included in the questionnaire. Measures describing the strength of the relationship between residents and coastal places were used as a proxy for ‘engagement’. To understand how experienced meaning and material interaction interlink, principal component analysis (PCA) was used to join and visually explore the different measures of ‘affect’ and ‘engagement’. Potentially mediating sociodemographic variables were investigated using a permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA). The majority of self‐selected study participants displayed strong place attachment to their most frequently visited places. We found that affective engagement does not vary with age, gender or type of place. Participants favoured natural and constructed places in equal measure. This implies that constructed places can be of high value due to their different functions for different individuals, and that landscape transformations may impact on coastal residents if they cause a change in functionality. We found two domains comprising affective engagement that are not measurable by quantitative or qualitative data alone. The first of these domains is driven by attachments to places, and the other by meanings relating to either personal or social fulfilment afforded by a place. Our findings may help planners better understand the meanings behind local support for (or resistance against) landscape transformations, and how residents' affective engagement might be impacted by proposed interventions. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

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Valuing Nature for Wellbeing: Narratives of Socio-ecological Change in Dynamic Intertidal Landscapes

Cited by 14 publications

References 38 publications

A Qualitative Analysis of UK Wetland Visitor Centres as a Health Resource

A Qualitative Analysis of UK Wetland Visitor Centres as a Health Resource

‘This funny place’: Uncovering the ambiguity of saltmarshes using a multimodal approach

Coastal residents' affective engagement with the natural and constructed environment

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