Urban Vegetation Types are Not Perceived Equally in Providing Ecosystem Services and Disservices

Zuzana Drillet,Daniel Richards,Peter Edwards,Uma Sachidhanandam,Rachel Leong,Tze Fung

doi:10.3390/su12052076

Abstract

Urban vegetation is important in providing ecosystem services to people. Different urban vegetation types provide contrasting suites of ecosystem services and disservices. Understanding public perceptions of the ecosystem services and disservices can therefore play an important role in shaping the planning and management of urban areas. We conducted an online survey (n = 1000) to understand how residents in the tropical city of Singapore perceived urban vegetation and the associated ecosystem services and disservices. The questionnaire was designed to explore whether different urban vegetation types (grass, shrubs, trees, trees over shrubs, and secondary forest) were perceived as equal in providing benefits. Respondents considered ecosystem services provided by urban vegetation to be more important than disservices. Among ecosystem services, regulating services were most highly rated, with more than 80% of the respondents appreciating urban vegetation for providing shade and improving air quality. Respondents recognized that different vegetation types provided different ecosystem services. For example, secondary forest was most commonly associated with education and wildlife, while trees were strongly associated with cooling and air quality. We conclude that in developing plans and designs for urban vegetation and ecosystem services, it is important to understand the perceptions, priorities, and concerns of residents.

Highlights

Natural and managed vegetation delivers a multitude of benefits, or “ecosystem services”, to urban residents [1,2]
Urban ecosystem services can be broadly classified into regulating, cultural, and provisioning services [8]
Ecosystem services provided by urban vegetation were significantly more likely to be perceived as important by respondents than ecosystem disservices (p < 0.001; Figure 2; Table 2)

Summary

Introduction

Natural and managed vegetation delivers a multitude of benefits, or “ecosystem services”, to urban residents [1,2]. These ecosystem services contribute to improving urban quality of life [3,4,5,6]. While most effects of urban vegetation are generally positive, some may be less desirable [11,12,13] Examples of such “ecosystem disservices” include vegetation being a source of pests and disease vectors, or the roots of street trees damaging property [11,12,13]

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Conclusion