Jessica Francine Felappi

• Governance
• Health and sanitation
• Ecosystem services
• Biodiversity

• Brazil

Reconciling mental health promotion and wildlife conservation in a megacity: the importance of urban parks’ qualities

Cities worldwide have been seeking new alternatives for building and transforming urban areas in order to provide healthier and more resilient environments for their inhabitants. The integration of green infrastructure into urban planning has gained momentum as a threefold strategy as it provides benefits to human health and well-being, preserves biodiversity, and improves environmental health. Urban parks, when well designed and managed, may act as restorative environments, which allow people to recover cognitive capacities and relax while providing habitat for local flora and fauna. However, reconciling in the same place requirements for human use and biodiversity conservation is a challenge not well investigated so far. Therefore, this study aims to identify which characteristics of urban parks affect mental restoration and wildlife support outcomes, and which are the synergies and trade-offs between these two dimensions. The megacity of São Paulo, Brazil, was selected as the study area due to the variety in parks’ design and quality, high prevalence of mental disorders, and geographic location that overlaps a biodiversity hotspot (Atlantic Forest). The effect of indicators of park’s qualities on the perceived restorativeness rated by park users, and on wildlife support indices will be estimated, as well as the influence of potential mediators and moderators. Ultimately, this study will provide empirical evidence to the design and management of multifunctional urban green spaces which meet human needs and biodiversity conservation.