Wellbeing of park users in a tropical city may be more influenced by their nature connectedness and exposure than bird diversity

Abstract

The effects of biodiversity on well-being of urban park users are not fully understood, especially in tropical cities. Recent research showed that well-being was more strongly associated with perceived biodiversity than actual biodiversity and mediated by nature connectedness. The length of time spent in the park also correlated positively with wellbeing. The present study investigates the contributory effects of actual park biodiversity, nature connectedness and length of time in parks on the well-being of park users in Singapore’s tropical context. Data on park users from a national survey, combined with bird species richness in urban parks obtained from the eBird database, were analyzed. Generalized Linear Mixed Model analysis showed that nature connectedness had the strongest positive effect on well-being, followed by the length of time spent in parks. Age also influenced well-being, with seniors having a negative effect. Bird species richness had a slightly negative but insignificant effect on wellbeing. Using Structural Equation Modeling, time in parks was found to indirectly enhance well-being by strengthening individuals' connection to nature. Notably, even though there was a slight significant negative direct effect of bird species richness on well-being, the overall effect was still positive when mediated through nature connectedness. We examined the implications of these findings from the perspective of urban residents, who may occasionally experience disservices from birds. We hypothesize that perceived biodiversity, as a component of urban nature, remains important in mediating human experiences that foster nature connectedness and wellbeing, given potential negative interactions with urban birds.