Co-evaluating the social benefits of urban biodiversity: A case study of the Botanical Gardens at Utrecht University, the Netherlands

Abstract

Green spaces, as a critical part of urban infrastructure, provide a wide range of social, cultural, and economic benefits through ecosystem services to humans. Human-nature relations and social values created by nature at the urban scale are unique to each context, and therefore, for a concise planning approach, it is essential to fully grasp the benefits through local social values. By addressing the gaps in the literature, this research aims to develop and apply an engaging, adaptable, and replicable monitoring methodology that focuses on co-evaluation, building upon experiential narratives of the social benefits of urban nature. Focusing on a local case study of Utrecht University Botanical Gardens, and relying on transdisciplinary methods such as public workshops, semi-structured interviews, and gamified ecosystem services benefits selection, this research emphasizes a co-evaluation that builds on experiential narratives of the social benefits of urban nature and biodiversity. The results initially identify narratives of urban biodiversity explicating how and what people recognize as urban biodiversity in the Botanical Gardens and the related social values using ecosystem services (ES) benefits. Secondly, alongside narratives, the social benefits of nature and biodiversity are explored through the benefits selected by participants, which indicate the perception of visitors and locals about the place. Ultimately, the results of co-evaluation are reflected in direct recommendations for improving the Botanical Gardens. This proposed methodology, as a replicable and engaging approach, provides a participatory framework that bridges the gap between ecological metrics and local social values when evaluating the recognized and perceived social-ecological benefits of urban nature.