Marcel Hunziker
Biographic Data
| ID | 3751296 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Marcel Hunziker |
| GIVEN NAMES | Marcel |
| FAMILY NAME | Hunziker |
| SIGNATURE | HUNZIKER M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3435-8954 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 22 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 31 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 22 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1992 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Exploring societal perceptions of forests, ecosystem benefits, and restoration. A case study in Sweden, Scotland, Germany, Serbia, Croatia, and Spain
Forests provide essential ecological and socio-economic benefits, yet forest restoration efforts often overlook how people perceive and engage with these ecosystems. Understanding public perceptions is crucial for designing effective restoration strategies, particularly in Europe, given its social, and ecological diversity. While previous research has recorded forest and restoration benefits, less is known about how individuals perceive these ben…
Rethinking people-place bonds
People-place bonds are crucial for urban planning, fostering care, safety, and stewardship within neighborhoods. These bonds have been studied extensively, primarily under the concept of place attachment. Place attachment has been shown to offer numerous positive benefits, such as improved well-being, social behavior, and environmental engagement. The broad body of literature has identified several key components influencing place attachment, suc…
The role of social, policy and economic forces in shaping forest restoration practices in Europe
Forest restoration in Europe has a complex history strongly influenced by various social, policy and economic factors. Understanding these influences is essential for shaping effective restoration strategies and avoiding past mistakes, particularly in light of meeting ambitious targets outlined in initiatives such as the EU Nature Restoration Regulation. Here we identify the key social, policy and economic drivers, barriers and enablers that have…
The role of greenness and road traffic noise for psychological restoration in everyday environments. A participatory mapping approach
Feeling of being in nature facilitates psychological restoration. • Greenness and traffic noise exposure affect the feeling of being in nature. • Noise annoyance impedes psychological restoration at home. • Combined perception-based survey and GIS data explain psychological restoration. Greenness and noise are important environmental determinants of human health. The rapid urbanization and population growth have intensified the densification of u…
Factors influencing public support for forest restoration in Europe
Forest restoration is essential for reversing biodiversity loss and enhancing ecosystem services. While its ecological dimensions are well recorded, the societal aspects, particularly public support, remain underexplored. This study examines the factors influencing public support for forest restoration in Sweden and Spain, two regions with distinct ecological and socio-cultural contexts. Drawing on a standardised survey (n = 241) and a generalise…
Changing mindsets towards renewable energy landscapes in Switzerland
Renewable energy transitions depend not only on technology, but also on the acceptance of the respective infrastructure placements in different landscapes. These issues are globally relevant, as many countries face tensions between renewable energy infrastructure (REI) expansion and the cultural meanings attached to affected landscapes. This study examines how the general Swiss public evaluates REI in different landscape types in Switzerland, and…
How the Covid-19 pandemic changed forest visits in Switzerland
Lockdown measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic led to a rise in people’s visits to forests and urban green spaces. However, as vaccination efforts progressed and infection rates declined, it remained uncertain whether forest visitation levels would return to pre-pandemic norms or even decreased. To explore the post-crisis status of forest visits, we conducted a comprehensive analysis using data from a representative online panel surve…
Managing Wolves is Managing Narratives
The resurgence of wolf populations in Germany is causing controversies regarding their management policies. Through 41 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders, we found that respondents favored the management directives predicated on the narratives they entertained, i.e., beliefs about wolves and nature more broadly. We identified 18 narratives that ranged from the extreme of “beings-focused, harmony-oriented, and wolf-favoring” extreme thro…
Impacts of rising Covid-19 incidence and changed working conditions on forest visits in early 2020 of the pandemic
Factors influencing visual landscape quality perceived by the public. Results from a national survey
In the context of significant landscape changes, understanding how residents perceive landscape quality is crucial for landscape policy-making and planning. However, while significant advancements have been made in measuring physical landscape change, social indicators assessing visual landscape quality perceived by the public are still underdeveloped. In this study, we use an indicator-based assessment of visual landscape quality that was collec…
Does rated visual landscape quality match visual features? An analysis for renewable energy landscapes
Finding the “right” sites for developing renewable energy systems (RES) is one of the major challenges in planning strategies for energy transitions. The visibility aspects of such infrastructure are important factors that explain local opposition. Classical visibility and viewshed analyses of RES disregard people’s perceptions and estimations of new infrastructure. To address this void, we demonstrate an approach that combines rated visual lands…
The Role of Trust in the Participatory Establishment of Protected Areas—Lessons Learnt from a Failed National Park Project in Switzerland
This article explores the reasons for the local rejection of a proposed national park in Switzerland. Using a mixed-methods approach and resorting to qualitative and quantitative data, we follow the thread of trust issues in the participatory planning process of a protected area. Different rationales and discourses, both project-specific but also more general, influenced the opinions of local stakeholders. Connecting these different opinions was …
What forest is in the light of people's perceptions and values
Forest is an important element of Swiss landscape, with about 30 % of the country covered by it, forming a finely structured patchwork together with water bodies, agricultural land and settlements. It is highly valued by residents as part of their everyday living and recreational environment. The aim of this paper is to provide knowledge about how residents perceive and value forests and what their dominant preferences are. The data were collecte…
Psychosocial Outcomes as Motivations for Visiting Nearby Urban Green Spaces
High-density urban living means that urban green spaces are important nodes of contact with nature. This study examines expected outcomes that motivate people to seek green spaces in urban settings. A sample of Swiss residents were presented with Shin, Kwon, Hammitt, and Kim's (2005 Shin, W., Kwon, H., Hammitt, W. and Kim, B. 2005. Urban forest park use and psychosocial outcomes: A case study in six cities across South Korea. Scandinavian Journal…
Fascinating Remoteness
Remote areas devoid of roads and tourist transport infrastructure are increasingly appreciated in urbanized countries because they provide the opportunity to experience tranquillity, solitude, and pristine nature, which are recreational qualities that contrast with the stress of urban life. In Switzerland as a whole, larger roadless areas are rare, but they are still common in southern Switzerland as the “inventory of remote areas,” which was est…
Differences in Preferences towards Potential Future Landscapes in the Swiss Alps
Land abandonment followed by spontaneous reforestation has been an ongoing process in the Swiss Alps, especially on steep and relatively inaccessible slopes and on alpine summering pastures. This study aims to identify and explain differences in preferences towards potential future landscapes: 1) between landscape settings at different elevation belts (e.g. valley bottom, forest clearings at medium elevations, alpine pastures above the forest bel…
Beyond the visual dimension
Evaluation of Landscape Change by Different Social Groups
Landscape is an important resource for mountain regions, particularly for tourism. Guiding future landscape development is necessary to meet the expectations of mountain inhabitants, tourists, and the general public outside mountain areas. The studies presented here show how different societal groups perceive past and future landscape changes in the Alps. The results reveal that it is not landscape change per se that is assessed as good or bad, i…
Factors influencing the acceptance of nature conservation measures—A qualitative study in Switzerland
Locals' and Tourists' Sense of Place
The development of Swiss Alpine landscapes must comply with the needs of different interest groups. We assume that the way people relate to places, and particularly the sense of place they have, is a basis for their needs and aims regarding future landscape development. Conflicts among aims can be better understood if the underlying place relations are known. Therefore, we inductively examined differences between locals' and tourists' sense of pl…
Do natural science experiments influence public attitudes towards environmental problems
Tourismusbedingte Landschaftsveränderungen im Urteil der Touristen
No abstract available
Differences in Preferences towards Potential Future Landscapes in the Swiss Alps
Land abandonment followed by spontaneous reforestation has been an ongoing process in the Swiss Alps, especially on steep and relatively inaccessible slopes and on alpine summering pastures. This study aims to identify and explain differences in preferences towards potential future landscapes: 1) between landscape settings at different elevation belts (e.g. valley bottom, forest clearings at medium elevations, alpine pastures above the forest bel…
Beyond the visual dimension
The Role of Trust in the Participatory Establishment of Protected Areas—Lessons Learnt from a Failed National Park Project in Switzerland
This article explores the reasons for the local rejection of a proposed national park in Switzerland. Using a mixed-methods approach and resorting to qualitative and quantitative data, we follow the thread of trust issues in the participatory planning process of a protected area. Different rationales and discourses, both project-specific but also more general, influenced the opinions of local stakeholders. Connecting these different opinions was …
Psychosocial Outcomes as Motivations for Visiting Nearby Urban Green Spaces
High-density urban living means that urban green spaces are important nodes of contact with nature. This study examines expected outcomes that motivate people to seek green spaces in urban settings. A sample of Swiss residents were presented with Shin, Kwon, Hammitt, and Kim's (2005 Shin, W., Kwon, H., Hammitt, W. and Kim, B. 2005. Urban forest park use and psychosocial outcomes: A case study in six cities across South Korea. Scandinavian Journal…
Impacts of rising Covid-19 incidence and changed working conditions on forest visits in early 2020 of the pandemic
Do natural science experiments influence public attitudes towards environmental problems
Tourismusbedingte Landschaftsveränderungen im Urteil der Touristen
No abstract available
Do natural science experiments influence public attitudes towards environmental problems
Locals' and Tourists' Sense of Place
The development of Swiss Alpine landscapes must comply with the needs of different interest groups. We assume that the way people relate to places, and particularly the sense of place they have, is a basis for their needs and aims regarding future landscape development. Conflicts among aims can be better understood if the underlying place relations are known. Therefore, we inductively examined differences between locals' and tourists' sense of pl…
Factors influencing the acceptance of nature conservation measures—A qualitative study in Switzerland
Evaluation of Landscape Change by Different Social Groups
Landscape is an important resource for mountain regions, particularly for tourism. Guiding future landscape development is necessary to meet the expectations of mountain inhabitants, tourists, and the general public outside mountain areas. The studies presented here show how different societal groups perceive past and future landscape changes in the Alps. The results reveal that it is not landscape change per se that is assessed as good or bad, i…
Beyond the visual dimension
Fascinating Remoteness
Remote areas devoid of roads and tourist transport infrastructure are increasingly appreciated in urbanized countries because they provide the opportunity to experience tranquillity, solitude, and pristine nature, which are recreational qualities that contrast with the stress of urban life. In Switzerland as a whole, larger roadless areas are rare, but they are still common in southern Switzerland as the “inventory of remote areas,” which was est…
Differences in Preferences towards Potential Future Landscapes in the Swiss Alps
Land abandonment followed by spontaneous reforestation has been an ongoing process in the Swiss Alps, especially on steep and relatively inaccessible slopes and on alpine summering pastures. This study aims to identify and explain differences in preferences towards potential future landscapes: 1) between landscape settings at different elevation belts (e.g. valley bottom, forest clearings at medium elevations, alpine pastures above the forest bel…
Psychosocial Outcomes as Motivations for Visiting Nearby Urban Green Spaces
High-density urban living means that urban green spaces are important nodes of contact with nature. This study examines expected outcomes that motivate people to seek green spaces in urban settings. A sample of Swiss residents were presented with Shin, Kwon, Hammitt, and Kim's (2005 Shin, W., Kwon, H., Hammitt, W. and Kim, B. 2005. Urban forest park use and psychosocial outcomes: A case study in six cities across South Korea. Scandinavian Journal…
What forest is in the light of people's perceptions and values
Forest is an important element of Swiss landscape, with about 30 % of the country covered by it, forming a finely structured patchwork together with water bodies, agricultural land and settlements. It is highly valued by residents as part of their everyday living and recreational environment. The aim of this paper is to provide knowledge about how residents perceive and value forests and what their dominant preferences are. The data were collecte…
Factors influencing visual landscape quality perceived by the public. Results from a national survey
In the context of significant landscape changes, understanding how residents perceive landscape quality is crucial for landscape policy-making and planning. However, while significant advancements have been made in measuring physical landscape change, social indicators assessing visual landscape quality perceived by the public are still underdeveloped. In this study, we use an indicator-based assessment of visual landscape quality that was collec…
Does rated visual landscape quality match visual features? An analysis for renewable energy landscapes
Finding the “right” sites for developing renewable energy systems (RES) is one of the major challenges in planning strategies for energy transitions. The visibility aspects of such infrastructure are important factors that explain local opposition. Classical visibility and viewshed analyses of RES disregard people’s perceptions and estimations of new infrastructure. To address this void, we demonstrate an approach that combines rated visual lands…
The Role of Trust in the Participatory Establishment of Protected Areas—Lessons Learnt from a Failed National Park Project in Switzerland
This article explores the reasons for the local rejection of a proposed national park in Switzerland. Using a mixed-methods approach and resorting to qualitative and quantitative data, we follow the thread of trust issues in the participatory planning process of a protected area. Different rationales and discourses, both project-specific but also more general, influenced the opinions of local stakeholders. Connecting these different opinions was …
Managing Wolves is Managing Narratives
The resurgence of wolf populations in Germany is causing controversies regarding their management policies. Through 41 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders, we found that respondents favored the management directives predicated on the narratives they entertained, i.e., beliefs about wolves and nature more broadly. We identified 18 narratives that ranged from the extreme of “beings-focused, harmony-oriented, and wolf-favoring” extreme thro…
Impacts of rising Covid-19 incidence and changed working conditions on forest visits in early 2020 of the pandemic
How the Covid-19 pandemic changed forest visits in Switzerland
Lockdown measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic led to a rise in people’s visits to forests and urban green spaces. However, as vaccination efforts progressed and infection rates declined, it remained uncertain whether forest visitation levels would return to pre-pandemic norms or even decreased. To explore the post-crisis status of forest visits, we conducted a comprehensive analysis using data from a representative online panel surve…
The role of greenness and road traffic noise for psychological restoration in everyday environments. A participatory mapping approach
Feeling of being in nature facilitates psychological restoration. • Greenness and traffic noise exposure affect the feeling of being in nature. • Noise annoyance impedes psychological restoration at home. • Combined perception-based survey and GIS data explain psychological restoration. Greenness and noise are important environmental determinants of human health. The rapid urbanization and population growth have intensified the densification of u…
Factors influencing public support for forest restoration in Europe
Forest restoration is essential for reversing biodiversity loss and enhancing ecosystem services. While its ecological dimensions are well recorded, the societal aspects, particularly public support, remain underexplored. This study examines the factors influencing public support for forest restoration in Sweden and Spain, two regions with distinct ecological and socio-cultural contexts. Drawing on a standardised survey (n = 241) and a generalise…
Changing mindsets towards renewable energy landscapes in Switzerland
Renewable energy transitions depend not only on technology, but also on the acceptance of the respective infrastructure placements in different landscapes. These issues are globally relevant, as many countries face tensions between renewable energy infrastructure (REI) expansion and the cultural meanings attached to affected landscapes. This study examines how the general Swiss public evaluates REI in different landscape types in Switzerland, and…
Exploring societal perceptions of forests, ecosystem benefits, and restoration. A case study in Sweden, Scotland, Germany, Serbia, Croatia, and Spain
Forests provide essential ecological and socio-economic benefits, yet forest restoration efforts often overlook how people perceive and engage with these ecosystems. Understanding public perceptions is crucial for designing effective restoration strategies, particularly in Europe, given its social, and ecological diversity. While previous research has recorded forest and restoration benefits, less is known about how individuals perceive these ben…
Rethinking people-place bonds
People-place bonds are crucial for urban planning, fostering care, safety, and stewardship within neighborhoods. These bonds have been studied extensively, primarily under the concept of place attachment. Place attachment has been shown to offer numerous positive benefits, such as improved well-being, social behavior, and environmental engagement. The broad body of literature has identified several key components influencing place attachment, suc…
The role of social, policy and economic forces in shaping forest restoration practices in Europe
Forest restoration in Europe has a complex history strongly influenced by various social, policy and economic factors. Understanding these influences is essential for shaping effective restoration strategies and avoiding past mistakes, particularly in light of meeting ambitious targets outlined in initiatives such as the EU Nature Restoration Regulation. Here we identify the key social, policy and economic drivers, barriers and enablers that have…
Geography (15 works) · Environmental resource management (10 works) · Land Use and Ecosystem Services (10 works) · Urban Green Space and Health (10 works) · Environmental planning (8 works) · Political science (8 works) · Environmental Science (7 works) · Psychology (7 works) · Sociology (7 works) · Ecology (6 works)