Gardens or yards are children’s main source of contact with biodiversity in their urban neighborhoodsThis study explored how urban children in three New Zealand cities interact with their environment. The stated intent was to test whether children’s use of space is consistent with the biophilia hypothesis. This hypothesis suggests that humans have an innate affiliation toward life and life-like processes. This theory along with related research also suggests that children have an especially deep affective affiliation with life and that, because of this, they should be drawn to nature.
A total of 187 children (age 9-11) participated in this study. They were recruited from nine schools in neighborhoods with similar levels of green space. Each child was interviewed individually by a member of the research team. During the interview, each child indicated on a personal nature map places they visited unaccompanied by adults. They also indicated where they spent most of their time while outdoors.
To quantify space use, the researchers used two different spatial scales: (1) a coarse-scale indicating where children’s normal daily activities fell within the range of habitats potentially available to them; and (2) a finer scale indicating specific locations within habitats where children conduct their normal activities. This approach allowed the researchers to quantify children’s disproportionate use of environmental features in relation to their availability over an area of interest, referred to in this study as “nearby neighborhood” (NN).
Biodiversity scores were calculated for greenspaces within each child’s NN and home range (the area the child visits on a frequent basis). These scores were based on such factors as naturalness, species richness, and degree of management. Children’s independent selections of spaces in their neighborhoods were then evaluated in relation to the biodiversity values of those spaces.
Results showed that children most preferred areas close to home (such as gardens and yards), sport grounds, and parklands. Their least-preferred areas included woodlands and streets. Children with access to more biodiverse gardens or yards had stronger preference for those areas. The strongest determinant of how much biodiversity children encountered was the biodiversity value of their own garden or yard. There was no evidence of preference for biodiverse areas, even where children had access to highly biodiverse spaces. These findings did not conform to the biophilia hypothesis.
The fact that children preferred gardens or yards makes these an important resource for supporting children’s connection to nature. This resource, however, is not equally available to all children, resulting in unequal opportunity for children to interact with nature. Another concern relates to the decreasing space for gardens and yards in newer urban developments. These concerns call attention to the need for enhancing local biodiversity across a range of urban habitats (especially in private gardens and yards) and supporting children’s time in natural spaces.
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