Assessing and transferring social value of ecosystem services in wetland parks based on SolVES model

Abstract

Wetland parks have become important components of urban landscapes. Assessing and transferring the social value of wetland ecosystem services is important for enhancing human well-being. In this study, we selected Caiyunhu National Wetland Park (CNWP) in Chongqing, China, Huanhuaxi Wetland Park (HWP) in Chengdu, Sichuan, China and Wusongpaotaiwan National Wetland Park (WNWP) in Shanghai, China for study. The Social Value for Ecosystem Services (SolVES) model is constructed from a survey to quantitatively evaluate the social value of CNWP. Then, the social value transfer model is used to predict the social values at WNWP and HWP. This study discovered the followings: (1) when there are abundant environmental factors, aesthetic value and recreation value have higher performance, and policy sites with greater socioeconomic matching benefit more from the transfer model. (2) Water bodies and bridges have a high impact on social value in Chinese-style wetland parks, often generating higher social value near the water. (3) In the future construction of wetland parks, more attention should be given to the combination of water, bridges and roads, which can improve the cultural services of wetland parks. The value transfer model has a positive impact on the evaluation of the social value of wetland parks, and improving its utilization can play a guiding role in future wetland park planning and renovation.