Subjective Well-Being as a Potential Policy Indicator in the Context of Urbanization and Forest Restoration
| Autor: | Noboru Okuda, Hiroyuki Ishibashi, Yukiko Uchida, Takuya Takahashi |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences
Natural resource economics media_common.quotation_subject lcsh:TJ807-830 Geography Planning and Development lcsh:Renewable energy sources policy indicator Context (language use) 010501 environmental sciences Management Monitoring Policy and Law 01 natural sciences Forest restoration Japan Urbanization Forest ecology happiness Resource management Quality (business) Subjective well-being lcsh:Environmental sciences 0105 earth and related environmental sciences media_common lcsh:GE1-350 Renewable Energy Sustainability and the Environment lcsh:Environmental effects of industries and plants forest policy Building and Construction lcsh:TD194-195 Geography subjective well-being Profitability index |
| Zdroj: | Sustainability, Vol 13, Iss 3211, p 3211 (2021) |
| ISSN: | 2071-1050 |
| DOI: | 10.3390/su13063211 |
| Popis: | The enhancement of human well-being is one of the ultimate goals of resource management; however, it is not explicitly considered by forest policy indicators. Our previous studies examined how Japanese citizens in the Yasu River watershed of the Shiga Prefecture perceived subjective well-being related to forests (forest SWB). We found a negative correlation between forest SWB and forest ownership, suggesting dissatisfaction with the low profitability of forest ownership. Based on this result, in this paper, we argue that forest SWB can be an important indicator for policymaking in the context of urbanization and forest restoration and can complement existing forest indicators focusing mainly on physical and objective properties. First, we propose that a direct measurement of well-being (e.g., forest SWB) is preferable over an indirect measurement (e.g., GDP), for policymaking processes related to forests. Second, forest SWB can reflect the quality of our interactions with forests, which is important in urbanized societies which tend to have reduced experiences with nature. Third, forest SWB could identify inequalities between the users of forest ecosystem services and forest managers. Overall, forest SWB can be a holistic indicator to capture a variety of perspectives held by citizens. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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