Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NR, UK.
Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NR, UK.
Environ Res. 2022 Sep;212(Pt A):113154. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.113154. Epub 2022 Mar 24.
Most of the global population are urban, with inhabitants exposed to raised levels of pollution. Pollutants negatively impact human wellbeing, and can alter the structure and diversity of ecosystems. Contrastingly, urban biodiversity can positively contribute to human wellbeing. We know little, however, about whether the negative impacts of pollution on wellbeing could be lessened for householders living on more biodiverse streets, as the complex interlinkages between pollution, biodiversity and wellbeing have rarely been examined. Here, we used structural equation modelling to simultaneously test whether biodiversity (actual and perceived) mediates the relationship between traffic-related pollution (noise, dB; nitrogen dioxide, NO) or air pollution (PM) and wellbeing (mental wellbeing, happiness). In summer 2019, we conducted questionnaires and biodiversity surveys, and collected noise and air pollution data, from households (n = 282) across the streetscapes of Leeds, UK. Biodiversity (actual or perceived) showed no mediating effects. However, increased flowering plant richness was positively associated with mental wellbeing. Traffic-related pollution negatively affected pollinator and flowering plant richness, but not wellbeing. This could be because householders are not exposed to high levels of noise or NO because they do not maintain front gardens on noisier streets. There was no measurable effect of air pollution on biodiversity or wellbeing. These findings shed light on the complex mechanisms through which biodiversity could improve human wellbeing. Enhancing the diversity of plant species in streetscapes would have a positive effect on wellbeing, further emphasising the important role that biodiverse urban streetscapes play in improving the liveability of cities.
大多数全球人口居住在城市，这些城市居民暴露在较高水平的污染环境中。污染物对人类健康福祉有负面影响，还可能改变生态系统的结构和多样性。相反，城市生物多样性可以对人类健康福祉产生积极影响。然而，我们对生活在生物多样性更高的街道上的居民来说，污染对健康福祉的负面影响是否会减轻知之甚少，因为污染、生物多样性和健康福祉之间的复杂相互关系很少被研究。在这里，我们使用结构方程模型同时测试生物多样性（实际和感知）是否在交通相关污染（噪声，dB；二氧化氮，NO）或空气污染（PM）与健康福祉（心理健康，幸福感）之间的关系中起中介作用。2019 年夏天，我们在英国利兹的街道景观中，对 282 户家庭进行了问卷调查和生物多样性调查，并收集了噪声和空气污染数据。生物多样性（实际或感知）没有表现出中介作用。然而，开花植物丰富度的增加与心理健康呈正相关。交通相关污染对传粉者和开花植物的丰富度有负面影响，但对健康福祉没有影响。这可能是因为居民在噪声较大的街道上没有维护前花园，所以不会接触到高水平的噪声或 NO。空气污染对生物多样性或健康福祉没有可衡量的影响。这些发现揭示了生物多样性改善人类健康福祉的复杂机制。提高街道景观中植物物种的多样性将对健康福祉产生积极影响，进一步强调了生物多样性的城市街道景观在提高城市宜居性方面的重要作用。
