Dynamic Consequences of Environmental Change for Well-being

Research Overview

The recently agreed Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) requires nature conservation programmes to be not only effective, but fair and equitable. To counterbalance development impacts, compensatory conservation (e.g. biodiversity offsetting) has been applied or enabled in over 100 countries worldwide. Yet, compensations that change the supply of ecosystem goods and services can affect local well-being, which has been understudied in the literature. Our project aims to investigate the well-being impacts of the compensation approach within a social-ecological system. This knowledge can contribute to achieving the GBF and pursuing nature- and people-positive futures.

Objectives

This study aims to understand how people’s well-being is affected by the environmental change caused by economic developments with ecological compensations. Through a case study in a recently urbanised town in China, this study aims to

(i) explore the diverse psychological mechanisms through which local people perceive past environmental changes,

(ii) understand how their well-being changes with local environmental changes, and

(iii) develop a conceptual framework for better mitigating future projects’ impacts on well-being.