A systematic review on subjective well-being benefits associated with cultural ecosystem services

Cultural ecosystem services (CES) are increasingly addressed in research, but conceptual and methodological issues still limit their integration into management and decision-making. While most studies have focused on mapping and quantifying CES, less attention has been paid to the final benefits derived from CES. This study systematically reviewed the literature with regard to subjective well-being benefits associated with CES, examining (1) the research context, (2) the assessment of dimensions/types of benefits, (3) drivers of change and management implications, and (4) limitations and future research needs. Based on 160 publications, our results indicate that most addressed benefits were related the dimension of experiences (44.5%), followed by identities (29.3%) and capabilities (26.4%). Disbenefits such as sense of fear, insecurity and noisiness were only mentioned by 21.3% of all publications. Major challenges to overcome current limitations related to methodological issues and knowledge gaps include to strengthen inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration, to deepen the understanding of the human dimension, to broaden the analysis of a greater number of benefits and disbenefits, as well as to integrate information on specific ecosystems and at large spatial scales, to establish stronger linkages with decision-making and to clarify definitions and concepts. Future studies should address these challenges to generate meaningful information for decision-making and management.