Does ecosystem quality matter for cultural ecosystem services?

This short communication examines the relationship between nature conservation interventions aimed at enhancing ecological quality and cultural ecosystem services (CES) for human health and well-being. Using forest ecosystems as an exemplar - a system of international importance for both biodiversity and people - our UK and Ireland-focused review found little empirical evidence that incorporated a socio-ecological comparative analysis of management interventions and CES. We thus synthesised the identified literature into four themes from which to draw insight: public preferences for woodland characteristics; effects of urban/peri-urban woodlands; spiritual aspects of woodlands; and changing management paradigms. Across these bodies of literature, we found that ecological health was not the main factor underpinning CES from urban woodlands; instead social meaning, stemming from woodland experiences, was a primary factor. Despite woodlands being increasingly managed for multiple benefits, the literature provides little detail as to how native biodiverse woodlands are more beneficial than those that contain non-native species. We conclude highlighting the need for embedding a transactional socio-ecological frame that considers the interactions between people and woodlands, into both research and practice on CES and human well-being.