Pursuing Ecological and Social Co-Benefits: Public Hierarchical Willingness for Biodiversity Conservation in Urban Parks

Minli Jin, Lihui Hu (), Guang Hu and Jing Guo
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Minli Jin: College of Landscape Architecture, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou 311300, China
Lihui Hu: School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China
Guang Hu: School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China
Jing Guo: College of Landscape Architecture, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou 311300, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 9, 1-19

Abstract: Urban green spaces play a critical role in sustaining the urban park biodiversity. The relationship between biodiversity and city residents is complex. Understanding the cognitive preferences of residents toward biodiversity is vital for effective conservation. This study investigated the public willingness to protect the biodiversity in urban parks using questionnaire-based assessments and explored the underlying drivers. The study focused on the residents of Hangzhou, China, and analyzed the effects of respondent and visit characteristics as well as their interactions using ANOVA, PERMANOVA, GLM, and NMDS. The visitor age, education level, satisfaction with plant landscapes, and visit frequency significantly influenced their willingness to conserve. Based on a “cognitive-experience-investment” framework, we uncovered (1) positive synergistic effects between urban park biodiversity and the abundance of urban green space fauna; (2) threshold constraints linking volunteer time for biodiversity conservation and economic expenditures on biodiversity-friendly products; and (3) the complex interactions among these factors. The findings not only elucidate the driving mechanisms and model optimization pathways associated with public willingness for conserving urban biodiversity but also provide actionable strategies to promote both ecological conservation and societal wellbeing.

Keywords: biodiversity; willingness to pay; public perception; multiple level; urban park (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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