Factors influencing CES use in Vilnius, Lithuania

Abstract

The assessment of preferences of cultural ecosystem services (CES) in urban areas is crucial for decision-making regarding the management of urban green spaces (UGS), which are expected to suffer intense and increasing pressure worldwide, due to urban population growth and climate warming. In this study, we assessed the perceived relevance of five groups of CES (social activities, inspirational activities, cultural activities, spiritual activities, and physical activities), in Vilnius city, Lithuania (n=1.114), through participatory mapping and preference-based questions (5-point Likert scale). Our results identify Physical and Social activities as the most important CES for the respondents, while Spiritual activities were the less prevalent. Exploratory factor analysis showed that the respondent's recreation experience preferences mostly influenced all CES activity groups except for the Social activities group. Regarding Cultural activities, preferences for understanding things & learn about history are the most relevant. For Inspirational activities, developing knowledge & to learn were the most important aspects. Enjoying nature's quietness & frequency were the most relevant aspects of Physical activities. For Spiritual activities, the most relevant variables are related to the development of spiritual activities and the reflection on personal religious values. Finally, Social activities were mainly influenced by socio-demographic variables, namely Education level, Gender and Age group. Regarding the spatial distribution of activities, different CES activity groups showed different spatial distributions. Inspirational activities showed the highest dispersion, and Spiritual activities the highest concentration. The results are of particular relevance to municipal managers, allowing for a better understanding of users’ interactions with the territory, and its multifunctionality, and also for the identification of potential areas of conflict between conservation and recreation.