Does Educational Profile Influence Student Perception of Ecosystem Service Provision by Blue-Green Infrastructure?

Abstract

Blue-green infrastructure (BGI) is an important source of ecosystem services (ES) for urban residents; however, the perception of ES varies throughout the population. An important factor in this regard is having a formal education, as this plays a key role in recognizing environmental benefits and understanding the value of less obvious services. In addition, the educational profile may also have an impact on ES assessment. The present study examines how students perceive BGI and its associated ecosystem services. Students of Social Work, Ecocity, Spatial Economy and Biology at the University of Lodz were surveyed to determine whether educational profile may influence their assessment of ES. Our findings indicate that educational profile can play a significant role in explaining the perception of ESs provided by urban BGI. The students of Biology have a better understanding of the importance of BGI for improving the ecological status and quality of life in urban areas.

Keywords:

• Blue-green infrastructure
• ecosystem services
• social valuation
• university students’ perceptions
• urban ecosystem services

Acknowledgments

The paper presents research results generated under the Łódź LTSER platform of the LTER-Europe network.

Additional information

Funding

This research was partially supported by the: ENABLE project founded through the 2015–2016 BiodivERsA COFUND call for research proposals, by the national funders: the Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, the German Aeronautics and Space Research Center, the National Science Center (Poland) (grant no. 2016/22/Z/NZ8/00003), the Research Council of Norway and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness; and by the NCRD, under Grant (WAT ERWORKS2017/I/AT ENAS/02/2019), To Ally Technology, Nature and Society for integrated urban water management AT ENAS, under the program WaterWorks2017 of JP I Water