Effects of climate-related environmental changes on non-material benefits from human-nature interactions: A literature review

Uta Schirpke, Manuel Ebner and Ulrike Tappeiner

Ecosystem Services, 2024, vol. 69, issue C

Abstract: Despite growing evidence that climate-related environmental changes impact cultural ecosystem services (CES), a profound and nuanced understanding of such changes remains limited. This study aims to identify and characterize how climate-related changes affect human-nature interactions and related non-material benefits. Through a systematic literature review, we synthesize an interdisciplinary body of research by (1) characterizing the types of human-nature interactions affected, (2) recording the assessment approaches used, (3) relating environmental changes to changes in human-nature interactions and (4) categorizing climate-related impacts on non-material benefits. The 192 articles addressed mostly recreation (65%), cultural identity (30%), and aesthetic value (18%), assessing environmental changes influencing the opportunities for human-nature interactions (38%), socio-cultural aspects such as demand, benefits, values, practices, and goods (31%), and both environmental and socio-cultural aspects (31%). Most studies mentioned multiple environmental changes (57%), such as changes in species, populations and communities, weather patterns and climatic conditions, and changes in habitat and environmental quality. These changes had predominantly negative effects on non-material benefits (74% of 302 interactions across the studies), as well as neutral/undefined impacts (5.6%), positive (4.6%), or not significant impacts (4.3%). Mixed impacts were reported in 12% of the interactions, mostly mentioning negative impacts (97%). The impacts include changes in natural capacities, access and security, cultural practices and interactions, as well as spatial and temporal patterns, often resulting in a decline or even complete loss of benefits. To overcome conceptual and methodological limitations as well as to improve the consideration of climate-related impacts on non-material benefits in decision-making, greater efforts are required in adopting interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches to co-produce knowledge that reflects specific perceptions and understandings of change.

Keywords: Global warming; Nature’s contributions to people; Non-material; Loss and damage; Non-economic impact; Human-nature interactions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecoser:v:69:y:2024:i:c:s2212041624000573

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoser.2024.101650

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