Nature on our doorstep: How do residents perceive urban parks vs. biodiverse areas?

The role of nature in enhancing urban well-being is well-established, but perceived naturalness may not always align with scientific definitions. Our study aimed to investigate whether areas selected for nature-related activities demonstrate increased biodiversity, offer diverse experiences, and integrate both social and ecological perspectives. We aimed to bridge the gap between perceived naturalness and objective ecological richness. Integrating social and environmental parameters, we considered both objective indicators, such as the presence of rare species, and subjective perspectives. Extensive geotagged surveys among 401 working-age Warsaw residents, coupled with field analyses, and biodiversity data collected for the scale of the whole city, allowed to juxtapose human perception with tangible ecological indicators. Our results revealed that only 14% of the locations identified by respondents as natural were associated with high biological diversity. In contrast, over 30% were in areas with low biological diversity, lacking rare species. Factors like presence of natural and semi-natural vegetation types, distance from buildings, population density, presence of water, noise, and extreme temperatures were found to be significant. We distinguished four types of natural areas: close to home, open grassland, high naturalness, and forested, reflecting different preferences and alternative choices when high-quality natural areas are not nearby. Most notably, urban parks emerged as key locations for nature contact, even though objective measures of biodiversity were often low. This underscores the need for a comprehensive understanding of how urban residents interact with and value natural spaces, bridging the gap between subjective experiences and objective ecological richness within the city's green areas. Our study highlights the complex interplay between the physical properties of urban green spaces, individual perceptions, and the ecological aesthetics influencing these interactions. In particular, the concept of perceived naturalness emerges as a critical factor, often contrasting with objective, quantifiable naturalness, and necessitating a nuanced approach in urban planning and public health contexts to cater to diverse needs and preferences of city dwellers.