Exploring the relationship between ecosystems and human well-being by understanding the preferences for natural capital-based and produced capital-based ecosystem services

Scenario analysis is recognized as a useful tool for exploring future changes in the relationships between ecosystem services (ES) and human well-being. This analysis should be carried out not only by experts but also by relevant stakeholders such as the public. In this study, we investigated the preference of Japanese people toward natural and produced capital-based ES by distributing questionnaires to the public for exploring the direction of ES utilization in the future. Respondents with diverse backgrounds living in Tokyo and Nanao city in Ishikawa prefecture answered a series of questions about the extent to which they preferred natural or produced capital-based ES. As the general tendency of the results, the preferences for ES from the natural capitals were stronger than ES from produced capital. The trends varied, depending on the attributes of the respondents. The stronger preference for natural capital-based ES was possibly a positive indication that utilizing ES from the natural capitals was significantly beneficial for human well-being. The results were informative to understand public perception on key aspects of ES utilization scenarios, including their preferences for specific types of ES.