The ecosystem service of sense of place: benefits for human well-being and biodiversity conservation

TLDR

Assessing cultural benefits of non‑market ecosystem services can supply new information for conservation decisions, and the sense of place—encompassing attachment, identity, and symbolic meaning—links social and ecological issues. This review evaluates the importance of sense of place as an ecosystem service and discusses how its incorporation can reveal benefits for biodiversity conservation and human well‑being, emphasizing that biodiversity‑related experiences are essential yet underexplored. The authors employ a conceptual framework that integrates knowledge of sense of place from other disciplines to inform conservation decision‑making, while identifying gaps that warrant further research. The review demonstrates that sense of place delivers physical and psychological benefits, possesses neglected economic value, and deepens understanding of biodiversity’s role in human well‑being, thereby informing IPBES.

Abstract

SUMMARY Assessing the cultural benefits provided by non-market ecosystem services can contribute previously unknown information to supplement conservation decision-making. The concept of sense of place embeds all dimensions of peoples’ perceptions and interpretations of the environment, such as attachment, identity or symbolic meaning, and has the potential to link social and ecological issues. This review contains: (1) an evaluation of the importance of sense of place as an ecosystem service; and (2) comprehensive discussion as to how incorporating sense of place in an evaluation can uncover potential benefits for both biodiversity conservation and human well-being. Sense of place provides physical and psychological benefits to people, and has neglected economic value. The biodiversity-related experiences are essential components of the service that need to be further explored. A conceptual framework was used to explore how the existing knowledge on sense of place derived from other fields can be used to inform conservation decision-making, but further research is needed to fill existing gaps in knowledge. This review contributes to a better understanding of the role biodiversity plays in human well-being, and should inform the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).