Seasonality in recreation supply and demand in an urban lake ecosystem in Finland

Kati Vierikko,Vesa Yli-Pelkonen

doi:10.1007/s11252-019-00849-7

Kati Vierikko, Vesa Yli-Pelkonen

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-019-00849-7

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Abstract

Monetary valuation methods are commonly used to analyze recreation values of water ecosystems. However, most studies on water-related recreation values have not analyzed direct links between ecological elements providing recreation opportunities and user demands. Therefore, we implemented an ecosystem service approach to study human-nature interaction during the actual recreation visit to an urban freshwater site. We developed a conceptual model of local cultural ecosystem services (CES) to study interactions between recreation supply and demand. We were interested in seasonality of water-related recreation supply, and the different demands of summer and off-summer visitors. We chose urban Lake Kuusijärvi in the city of Vantaa, Finland, as our case study area, because it is a popular outdoor recreation area around the year. We identified 14 key elements of the supply of local CES and 22 socio-cultural values for the demand for local CES. We found little seasonal change in recreation supply, but the socio-demographic characteristics and demands of summer and off-summer visitors varied significantly. Demand was higher and more diverse during the summer season, while off-summer visitors were more specific in their demands. Moreover, some visitors feared that some socio-cultural values can be lost if the recreational use of the lake area increases. We discuss our findings in a theoretical context focusing especially on interactions between supply and demand of local CES at Lake Kuusijärvi.

Highlights

Urban freshwater ecosystems and green areas surrounding them are important components of ecological and recreational network in cities (Sievänen and Neuvonen 2011) and can promote physical and mental well-being, regulate water-cycling, and support biological diversity (YliPelkonen et al 2006; Völker and Kistemann 2013)
We identified 14 key elements of recreation supply at Lake Kuusijärvi (Table 1)
The summer 2013 was exceptionally hot (Finnish Meteorological Institute 2013) and blue algae blooms were common in early June in many inland freshwaters, but not in Lake Kuusijärvi

Summary

Introduction

Urban freshwater ecosystems (rivers, streams, lakes, ponds) and green areas surrounding them are important components of ecological and recreational network in cities (Sievänen and Neuvonen 2011) and can promote physical and mental well-being, regulate water-cycling, and support biological diversity (YliPelkonen et al 2006; Völker and Kistemann 2013). Contributions of ecosystems, which arise from interactions between biotic and. The concept of ecosystem services (ES) has become an important framework for understanding the links between ecosystem functions and human well-being (MEA (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment) 2005). Ecosystem services are commonly divided into three categories: provisioning, regulating and cultural (TEEB (The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity) 2011; CICES 2017). Cultural ecosystem services (CES) are defined as Becosystem’s contribution to the non-material, such as recreation, aesthetic, educational and spiritual benefits for people that arise from human-ecosystem relationship^ Research on CES, as well as other ES research, has focused especially on mapping and identifying spatial distribution, hotspots and coldspots of CES, by collecting data from local residents, community members and other stakeholders (e.g. Raymond et al 2009; Plieninger et al 2013; Rall et al 2017)

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