CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2015
| Author | Pienkowski, Thomas |
|---|---|
| Title | Cultural landscapes and subjective wellbeing: exploring the strength of the relationship between landscape variables and self-reported life satisfaction |
| Summary | Subjective accounts of wellbeing can provide insights into quality of life. Subjective wellbeing theory and measurement is increasingly popular within international development and economics. Yet, little has been written about subjective wellbeing in integrated landscape management. Cultural landscapes support vital economic, social and cultural functions. However, relationships between cultural landscapes and subjective wellbeing in developing countries have not been explored. Ten interviews and 226 surveys were conducted with residents in fifteen communities within the Toledo District of southern Belize between January and March 2015. A linear mixed effects model explored the relationship between forest and agricultural features, socio-economic characteristic and life satisfaction (a component of subjective wellbeing). Those with the greatest social support and highest self-rated health reported approximately 20% higher life satisfaction than those with the lowest (>95% CI). Those in communities with the highest extent of surrounding forest cover and agricultural pressure (between 2000 and 2014) reported approximately 40% lower life satisfaction than those with the lowest (>90% CI). Qualitative evidence suggests that subsistence and income-generating agriculture is important for wellbeing, potentially accounting for the negative relationship between forest cover and life satisfaction. Yet, extensive agricultural pressure threatens agricultural productivity, reflected in the negative relationship between agricultural intensity and life satisfaction. Therefore, landscapes may have important but complex effects on subjective wellbeing. These relationships may challenge prevalent narratives in landscape management discourse as well as offering insights into the role of cultural landscape in subjective wellbeing. |
| Supervisor | Pinter, Laszlo |
| Department | Environment Sciences and Policy MSc |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2015/pienkowski_thomas.pdf |
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