Mapping the social values for ecosystem services in urban green spaces: Integrating a visitor-employed photography method into SolVES

Urban green spaces are among the relatively few places to connect with nature in cities and represent locations where city dwellers can experience a variety of critical ecosystem services. As urbanization increases, deepening our understanding of the connections between city dwellers and the natural environment has become critical. In this study, we investigated the social values for ecosystem services by demonstrating an approach that combines a visitor-employed photography (VEP) method with the Social Values for Ecosystem Services (SolVES) mapping tool and applying this method to an urban wetland park. As a result, a quantified value index (VI) informs managers of the type and extent of urban ecosystem services (UESs) acknowledged by the public. Social values for each UES and environmental variable are delineated in a quantitative and spatially explicit manner. These outcomes could help planners and managers target specific areas in need of construction or improvement. Notably, public perceptions in this study are derived from photographs taken by invited park visitors. Real-time and on-site visiting experiences tend to be more effective and robust than recalling points of interest after visiting and manually marking them on maps via questionnaires. All the data used in this study are likely available in other green spaces. This approach can be generally extended to UES assessments elsewhere.