Does Bird Diversity Affect Public Mental Health in Urban Mountain Parks?-A Case Study in Fuzhou City, China

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jun 8;19(12):7029. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19127029.

Abstract

Intensified urbanization has caused a linear decline in the quality of urban biodiversity and indirectly harms our current human settlement environment. Urban mountain parks provide a refuge for the animals and plants and play a vital role in satisfying residents' lives. At present, few studies are focusing on the impact of biodiversity on human mental health benefits of urban mountain parks in high-density construction areas along the coast of the Eastern Hemisphere. Here, we examined the relationship between bird abundance, Shannon diversity, Simpson diversity, and Richness and momentary mental health (positive, negative, and anxiety) in urban mountain parks. The timed species counts method was used to conduct three surveys of birds in urban mountain parks, and linear regression was performed on the relationship between bird diversity and mental health among sites. According to the regression model results, we found no significant correlation in any disturbance levels. As urban mountain parks are an essential part of the human settlement environment, how to improve the biodiversity and mental health of urban mountain parks is one of the focuses of research on biodiversity well-being in the future. Urban planning authorities and public mental health researchers should pay attention to the importance of biodiversity in urban development and consider how to realize the beautiful vision of the harmonious coexistence of humans, animals, plants, and the environment in which we live.

Keywords: bird diversity; mental health; urban mountain parks; urban planning.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biodiversity
  • Birds*
  • China
  • Cities
  • Ecosystem
  • Mental Health*
  • Parks, Recreational
  • Plants

Grants and funding

This study was funded by (1) Green Urbanization across China and Europe: Collaborative Research on Key technological Advances in Urban Forests, grant number 2021YFE0193200; (2) Horizon 2020 strategic plan: CLEARING HOUSE—Collaborative Learning in Research, Information-sharing, and Governance on How Urban tree-based solutions support Sino-European urban futures, grant number 821242; (3) Research on sustainable development of human settlements in Fujian of the plateau discipline construction project of Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, grant number ysyl-kjtd-2; (4) Forest Park Engineering Technology Research Center of State Forestry Administration, grant number PTJH15002; (5) Special Project of Wuyishan National Park Research Institute, grant number KJg20009A.