The Relationship between the Conception of Nature and Environmental Valuation

Yamane Nagao,Ayano Nishikori,Tomoko Imoto

doi:10.3390/su132212683

Abstract

As individuals’ relationships with nature become more diverse, so do their conceptions of nature. In this study, the image of nature and derived feelings are defined as the conception of nature. This study aimed to identify the conceptions of nature held by individuals and their influence on environmental valuation. The number of respondents who imagined natural forests when they heard the word “nature” was the highest (58%), followed by those who imagined Satoyama (31%). The factor analysis extracted five feelings toward the image of nature: care, oneness, aversion, mystery, and restorativeness. These feelings differed depending on the image of nature conjured up by individuals. Respondents who imagined natural forests and Satoyama had a higher sense of care, causing higher willingness-to-pay for forest conservation. These results revealed that the image of nature differed from person to person, contrary to previous studies where nature was regarded as predominantly represented by vegetation. Feelings for the image of nature also differed. It can be concluded that an individuals’ conception of nature influences their environmental valuation.

Highlights

It was found that most Japanese people imagined nature as a natural forest in mountainous areas (58%)
Factor analysis was conducted using the data of all respondents without dividing the groups of respondents by the image of nature (Table 1)
In the factor analysis of the group of respondents who imagined urban, suburban, and artificial forests, it can be assumed that care and restorativeness were extracted as a cohesive factor because they both showed similar patterns with low mean values

Summary

Introduction

Academic Editors: Ryo Kohsaka and Individuals’ conceptions of nature may become more diverse due to globalization and the concentration of the population in urban areas. The focus is rarely on an individual’s conception of nature. What images of nature do individuals have in their minds? What feelings do they have toward those images of nature? It is expected that each person’s conception of nature will influence their values. As an alternative concept to ecosystem services [1]. It requires a value assessment from a pluralistic perspective on the relationship between humans and nature, but it was pointed out that studies covering cultural backgrounds and various worldviews are insufficient [2]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion