Green spaces provide a variety of ecosystem services. Urban green spaces are particularly valuable because they provide cultural services to urban residents. This study examined people’s opinions of cultural ecosystem services in Ramna Park, Dhaka, Bangladesh. We examined the cultural ecosystem services that green places provide by surveying visitors in the study area about which cultural services they are frequently getting and what their primary activities are in such green areas, to learn how urban dwellers utilize these spaces. Since the park at Ramna is conveniently accessible to the residents of Dhaka city due to its structural arrangement, it contributes significantly to the provision of cultural ecosystem services. The findings of this research indicate that individuals discover diverse cultural values not only in areas with superior ecosystems but also in their regular surroundings. This research has important implications as it uses a survey technique to quantify contemporary cultural services.
Cite this paper
Jahan, N. N. , Mozomdar, A. R. , Saika, U. , Hossain, M. I. and Ansari, M. N. A. (2024). Understanding of Cultural Ecosystem Services in Urban Green Spaces: A Case Study in Ramna Park, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Open Access Library Journal, 11, e1113. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1111113.
Gouwakinnou, G.N., Biaou, S., Vodouhe, F.G., Tovihessi, M.S., Awessou, B.K. and Biaou, H.S.S. (2019) Local Perceptions and Factors Determining Ecosystem Services Identification around Two Forest Reserves in Northern Benin. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 15, Article No. 61.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-019-0343-y
Niemelä, J., et al. (2010) Using the Ecosystem Services Approach for Better Planning and Conservation of Urban Green Spaces: A Finland Case Study. Biodiversity and Conservation, 19, 3225-3243. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-010-9888-8
Zhang, S. and Muñoz Ramírez, F. (2019) Assessing and Mapping Ecosystem Services to Support Urban Green Infrastructure: The Case of Barcelona, Spain. Cities, 92, 59-70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2019.03.016
García-Nieto, A.P., Quintas-Soriano, C., García-Llorente, M., Palomo, I., Montes, C. and Martín-López, B. (2015) Collaborative Mapping of Ecosystem Services: The Role of Stakeholders’ Profiles. Ecosystem Services, 13, 141-152.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2014.11.006
Egoh, B.N., Reyers, B., Rouget, M. and Richardson, D.M. (2011) Identifying Priority Areas for Ecosystem Service Management in South African Grasslands. Journal of Environmental Management, 92, 1642-1650.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2011.01.019
Cheng, X., Van Damme, S. and Uyttenhove, P. (2022) Assessing the Impact of Park Renovations on Cultural Ecosystem Services. Land, 11, Article No. 610.
https://doi.org/10.3390/land11050610
Jennings, V., Larson, L. and Yun, J. (2016) Advancing Sustainability through Urban Green Space: Cultural Ecosystem Services, Equity, and Social Determinants of Health. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 13, Article No. 196. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph13020196
Li, F., et al. (2017) Urban Ecological Infrastructure: An Integrated Network for Ecosystem Services and Sustainable Urban Systems. Journal of Cleaner Production, 163, S12-S18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.02.079
Lindley, S., Pauleit, S., Yeshitela, K., Cilliers, S. and Shackleton, C. (2018) Rethinking Urban Green Infrastructure and Ecosystem Services from the Perspective of Sub-Saharan African Cities. Landscape and Urban Planning, 180, 328-338.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2018.08.016
Nilsson, K., Konijnendijk, C.C. and Nielsen, A.B. (2013) Urban Forest Urban Forest Function, Design and Management. In: Loftness, V. and Haase, D., Eds., Sustainable Built Environments, Springer, Berlin, 701-718.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5828-9_218
Burkhard, B., Kroll, F., Nedkov, S. and Müller, F. (2012) Mapping Ecosystem Service Supply, Demand and Budgets. Ecological Indicators, 21, 17-29.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2011.06.019
Johnson, M.L., Campbell, L.K., Svendsen, E.S. and McMillen, H.L. (2019) Mapping Urban Park Cultural Ecosystem Services: A Comparison of Twitter and Semi-Structured Interview Methods. Sustainability, 11, Article No. 6137.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su11216137
Small, N., Munday, M. and Durance, I. (2017) The Challenge of Valuing Ecosystem Services That Have No Material Benefits. Global Environmental Change, 44, 57-67.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2017.03.005
Arowolo, A.O., Deng, X., Olatunji, O.A. and Obayelu, A.E. (2018) Assessing Changes in the Value of Ecosystem Services in Response to Land-Use/Land-Cover Dynamics in Nigeria. Science of the Total Environment, 636, 597-609.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.277
Rinne, J. and Primmer, E. (2016) A Case Study of Ecosystem Services in Urban Planning in Finland: Benefits, Rights and Responsibilities. Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning, 18, 286-305. https://doi.org/10.1080/1523908X.2015.1076721
Gebre, T. and Gebremedhin, B. (2019) The Mutual Benefits of Promoting Rural-Urban Interdependence through Linked Ecosystem Services. Global Ecology and Conservation, 20, e00707. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00707
Bieling, C. and Plieninger, T. (2013) Recording Manifestations of Cultural Ecosystem Services in the Landscape. Landscape Research, 38, 649-667.
https://doi.org/10.1080/01426397.2012.691469
Arslan, E.S., Nordström, P., Ijäs, A., Hietala, R. and Fagerholm, N. (2021) Perceptions of Cultural Ecosystem Services: Spatial Differences in Urban and Rural Areas of Kokemäenjoki, Finland. Landscape Research, 46, 828-844.
https://doi.org/10.1080/01426397.2021.1907322
Daniel, T.C., et al. (2012) Contributions of Cultural Services to the Ecosystem Services Agenda. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 109, 8812-8819. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1114773109
Baró, F., Gómez-Baggethun, E. and Haase, D. (2017) Ecosystem Service Bundles along the Urban-Rural Gradient: Insights for Landscape Planning and Management. Ecosystem Services, 24, 147-159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2017.02.021
Hubacek, K. and Kronenberg, J. (2013) Synthesizing Different Perspectives on the Value of Urban Ecosystem Services. Landscape and Urban Planning, 109, 1-6.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2012.10.010
Vallés-Planells, M., Galiana, F. and Van Eetvelde, V. (2014) A Classification of Landscape Services to Support Local Landscape Planning. Ecology & Society, 19, 44.
https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-06251-190144
Bachi, L., Ribeiro, S.C., Hermes, J. and Saadi, A. (2020) Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES) in Landscapes with a Tourist Vocation: Mapping and Modeling the Physical Landscape Components That Bring Benefits to People in a Mountain Tourist Destination in Southeastern Brazil. Tourism Management, 77, Article ID: 104017.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2019.104017
Koh, Y.F., Loc, H.H. and Park, E. (2022) Towards a “City in Nature”: Evaluating the Cultural Ecosystem Services Approach Using Online Public Participation GIS to Support Urban Green Space Management. Sustainability, 14, Article No. 1499.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031499
Kati, V. and Jari, N. (2016) Bottom-Up Thinking-Identifying Socio-Cultural Values of Ecosystem Services in Local Blue-Green Infrastructure Planning in Helsinki, Finland. Land Use Policy, 50, 537-547. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2015.09.031
Zwierzchowska, I., et al. (2018) Multi-Scale Assessment of Cultural Ecosystem Services of Parks in Central European Cities. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 30, 84-97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2017.12.017
Fagerholm, N., Eilola, S., Kisanga, D., Arki, V. and Käyhkö, N. (2019) Place-Based Landscape Services and Potential of Participatory Spatial Planning in Multifunctional Rural Landscapes in Southern Highlands, Tanzania. Landscape Ecology, 34, 1769-1787. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-019-00847-2
Dipeolu, A.A. and Ibem, E.O. (2020) Green Infrastructure Quality and Environmental Sustainability in Residential Neighbourhoods in Lagos, Nigeria. International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development, 12, 267-282.
https://doi.org/10.1080/19463138.2020.1719500
Frank, S., Fürst, C., Koschke, L. and Makeschin, F. (2012) A Contribution towards a Transfer of the Ecosystem Service Concept to Landscape Planning Using Landscape Metrics. Ecological Indicators, 21, 30-38.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2011.04.027
Lee, G. and Hong, I. (2013) Measuring Spatial Accessibility in the Context of Spatial Disparity between Demand and Supply of Urban Park Service. Landscape and Urban Planning, 119, 85-90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2013.07.001
Stepniewska, M. (2021) The Capacity of Urban Parks for Providing Regulating and Cultural Ecosystem Services versus Their Social Perception. Land Use Policy, 111, Article ID: 105778. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2021.105778
Rahman, M., Bin Zaman, K. and Hafiz, R. (2016) Translating Text into Space for Mapping the Past Territory of a City: A Study on Spatial Development of Dhaka during Mughal Period. City, Territory and Architecture, 3, Article No. 7.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40410-016-0036-y
Ko, H. and Son, Y. (2018) Perceptions of Cultural Ecosystem Services in Urban Green Spaces: A Case Study in Gwacheon, Republic of Korea. Ecological Indicators, 91, 299-306. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2018.04.006
Bertram, C. and Rehdanz, K. (2015) Preferences for Cultural Urban Ecosystem Services: Comparing Attitudes, Perception, and Use. Ecosystem Services, 12, 187-199.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2014.12.011
Fagerholm, N., et al. (2019) Cross-Site Analysis of Perceived Ecosystem Service Benefits in Multifunctional Landscapes. Global Environmental Change, 56, 134-147.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2019.04.002
Ummeh, S. and Toshio, K. (2017) Classification of Urban Parks and Their Regional Characteristics in Dhaka City, Bangladesh. Journal of Environmental Science and Engineering B, 6, 41-54. https://doi.org/10.17265/2162-5263/2017.01.005
Chan, K.M.A., Satterfield, T. and Goldstein, J. (2012) Rethinking Ecosystem Services to Better Address and Navigate Cultural Values. Ecological Economics, 74, 8-18.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2011.11.011
Brown, G. and Hausner, V.H. (2017) An Empirical Analysis of Cultural Ecosystem Values in Coastal Landscapes. Ocean & Coastal Management, 142, 49-60.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2017.03.019
De Groot, R. (2006) Function-Analysis and Valuation as a Tool to Assess Land Use Conflicts in Planning for Sustainable, Multi-Functional Landscapes. Landscape and Urban Planning, 75, 175-186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2005.02.016
Andersson, E., Tengö, M., McPhearson, T. and Kremer, P. (2015) Cultural Ecosystem Services as a Gateway for Improving Urban Sustainability. Ecosystem Services, 12, 165-168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2014.08.002
Suckall, N., Fraser, E.D.G., Cooper, T. and Quinn, C. (2009) Visitor Perceptions of Rural Landscapes: A Case Study in the Peak District National Park, England. Journal of Environmental Management, 90, 1195-1203.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2008.06.003
