Significance of Songbirds for Park Visitors, the Urban Environment and Biodiversity: Example of the Croatian Coastal Belt

Sanja Stevanović, Boris Dorbić (), Željko Španjol, Esved Kajtaz, Josip Margaletić, Zoran Stevanović, Mirjana Ljubojević and Damir Barčić
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Sanja Stevanović: Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, University of Zagreb, Svetošimunska Cesta 23, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Boris Dorbić: Independent Study of Mediterranean Agriculture, University of Split, Ul. R. Boškovića 31, 21000 Split, Croatia
Željko Španjol: Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, University of Zagreb, Svetošimunska Cesta 23, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Esved Kajtaz: Faculty of Education, Dzemal Bijedić University of Mostar, Sjeverni Logor bb, 88104 Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Josip Margaletić: Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, University of Zagreb, Svetošimunska Cesta 23, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Zoran Stevanović: Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, University of Zagreb, Svetošimunska Cesta 23, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Mirjana Ljubojević: Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 8, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Damir Barčić: Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, University of Zagreb, Svetošimunska Cesta 23, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 12, 1-25

Abstract: Urbanisation is a common cause of the loss of biological diversity. The most diverse natural areas in urban centres are city parks. The aim of this study was to examine the importance of songbirds for park visitors, the environment, and biodiversity in cities, based on the example of the Croatian coastal belt. A survey was conducted in the first half of 2024 (survey N = 662). The results show a low degree of basic biological knowledge of the main songbird species present in urban parks along the Croatian coastal belt. Citizens, on average, had a good basic understanding of the relationships between park songbirds and the environment. There were no statistically significant differences between cities of residence concerning basic biological knowledge of the main park songbird species in the Croatian coastal belt ( p = 0.076), basic knowledge of the relationships between park songbirds and the environment ( p = 0492), interactions between humans and songbirds in parks ( p = 0.403), or opinions on conserving park songbird populations ( p = 0.115). The final analysis confirmed that there was a statistically significant difference in education levels among participants regarding basic biological knowledge of the main park songbird species in the Croatian coastal belt ( p = 0.001), basic knowledge of the relationships between park songbirds and the environment ( p = 0.014), interactions between humans and songbirds in parks ( p = 0.001), and opinions on conserving park songbird populations ( p = 0.041). The dominant role of female respondents also raises the question of why male respondents do not participate in the research, which opens up opportunities for new research that would mainly deal with the topic of gender differences in attitudes towards park birds.

Keywords: Croatian coastal belt; biological diversity; park songbirds; songbird protection; urban parks (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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