Understanding the longitudinal associations between objective measures of plant and avian neighborhood biodiversity and nature-relatedness in a sample of Detroiters

Keywords: greenspace, park restoration, conservation psychology, nature connectivity, urban ecology
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

Having a strong connection to nature has been shown to increase sense of belonging, wellbeing, and environmental stewardship participation. Also, greenspace and birdsong exposure have shown positive effects to individuals’ mental and physical health. However, little is known about the longitudinal relationship between neighborhood plant and avian species richness and nature relatedness. This study aimed to understand how changes in plant and avian richness are associated with changes in nature-relatedness in Detroit, MI. We leverage StAND longitudinal data (2021-2023) including avian audio data collected from 11 neighborhood locations, plant observations from each of the 11 neighborhoods’ park, and individual nature-relatedness scores (NR-6, collected via survey). To yield plant richness, plant species were manually identified at a central location within each neighborhood park. To quantify avian richness, 10 AudioMoth acoustic monitors were placed throughout each neighborhood. Avian species were then identified, and richness was interpolated across neighborhoods and values were assigned to individuals based on home location. To test the associations, we fitted separate multi-level regression models including either annual measures of plant or avian richness and nature relatedness scores and a random intercept for year. We also included time invariant variables including age at enrollment, sex, and distance to nearest StAND park. We found that higher plant and avian species richness was significantly associated with higher nature relatedness in this sample of predominantly Black/African American participants. In future research, understanding how and why people become connected to nature may be useful as urban “greening” projects become more widespread.