Perceptions and attitudes of European urban forest and green space professionals towards public participation in planning and management

An online survey of 582 professionals was conducted in 10 European countries. It addressed various aspects of planning and management related to trees, forests and green space in urban areas. The goal of the study was to explore a) what attitudes the professionals have towards public involvement in various activities related to trees, forests and green space, b) what advantages and challenges of public participation they perceive, c) what traits they value in potential volunteers, and d) how professionals' sociodemographic characteristics influence their attitudes and perceptions. The results show that professionals were most supportive of public participation in activities such as monitoring incivilities, raising awareness and campaigning, or litter picking. On the other hand, the least supported activities were participation in tree assessments, monitoring of tree pests, diseases and invasive alien species, and tree inventories. Professionals agreed that public participation helps raise awareness among participants on the importance of managing trees, forests, and green space, makes people more attached to these resources, and builds trust between the public and professionals. The biggest perceived challenges to public participation were the lack of human capacities among professionals and the lack of political will to involve the public. The most desirable trait of the potential volunteers was the willingness to learn, while former experience in similar activities was the least important. Professionals’ country of origin and gender affected their perceptions and attitudes the most. The results are relevant for both the scientific community since the study was conducted in countries that are less present in the scientific literature on the topic, and practitioners, who are often under pressure to involve the public for various reasons but often lack the capacities to do so (properly)